Moon Child
by WhiteInfinity21
Summary: The night after returning from the Labyrinth, Sarah dreams of a crystal moon. She knew that one day she would come into contact with something out of this world again. COMPLETE. RE-EDITING IN PROGRESS.
1. The end

Moon Child

By WhiteInfinity21

Disclaimer: I don't own the movie The Labyrinth.

* * *

Chapter 1: The end

"You have no power over me."

The words were out of her mouth before she could even think. Sarah watched awestruck as the Goblin King seemed to fall into himself, turning into the white barn owl that she had seen earlier that day before she had wished Toby away to the goblins. She could have sworn that a look of absolute heartbreak and regret had come across his face as he threw the crystal up in the air. She had been so dizzy after pronouncing "the words" though, that she could never be sure.

Upon her return home, she had thought at first it had been just a dream. Her friends showing up in her vanity's mirror to say farethewell swiftly put an end to that idea. The impromptu party that had been held afterwards had been a blast, and Sarah had *almost* wished that the Goblin King might have attended as well.

Almost but not quite.

For while Sarah had been running through the Labyrinth, Jareth had been her opponent, her enemy. Now that she had won her brother back, who she had so foolishly and selfishly wished away, she was not quite sure what to think about the mysterious Goblin King. She could hardly go on believing that he was her enemy any longer, the game had ended and so had the roles the two had played ended as well. No longer was she the willful heroine, she was just plain old Sarah Williams again. It was only logical that the same could be said about the Goblin King. But while Sarah no longer viewed him as an enemy, she didn't trust him either. She wasn't that naive or foolish.

Casting such thoughts aside, Sarah resumed enjoying herself with her new friends from the Labyrinth. The party had been noisy and boisterous, but somehow her father and Karen never barged into her room demanding to know what was going on. It was a few hours before sunrise when Sarah had finally drifted off, her fellow partygoers quickly noticing this and quietly slipping back Underground as to not interrupt her well deserved rest.

Sarah had only gotten about three hours of sleep before Karen was banging on her door, yelling at her to get up or she would miss the school bus. When the sleepy teen finally managed to reluctantly open her eyes, it seemed as if everything around her had lost all its vividness and had become drab and boring. Sarah knew then and there that her experience in the Labyrinth last night had forever spoiled her for plain, normal life. She could not help but be disappointed about how unexciting her life in her birth world was. Always she knew that she would seek the exciting, the mysterious in this place she called reality.

It was with real regret that Sarah decided that she had had her one big adventure in this life time and that she had seen the last of magic, fantasy, and the Underground.

* * *

School that day had passed by in a whirl of boredom and wistful day-dreams. After her trek through the Labyrinth last night, she just couldn't bring herself to pay attention to her teachers while in class and had actually fallen asleep in both English and math. Sarah justified herself in her napping since she had gotten so little sleep last night.

The moment she got back home, she did a through and much needed spring cleaning of her room. Many costumes, children's fantasy books, toys, and other assorted paraphernalia went into numerous black trash bags that would later be donated to a local charity. The only things she kept were the few items that reminded her of her trek through the Labyrinth. Sarah had been unable to force herself to get rid of those precious reminders of good friends and well learned lesions. For though she had ruefully concluded that she would probably never come into contact with the Underground or magic again, that did not mean that she had to forget her experiences while she was there for those all-too-brief thirteen hours.

Finally, her drive to get rid of most of her childhood things cooled and died. A quick trip downstairs to grab a plate of leftovers from dinner (tuna casserole and corn on the cob) and a cup of milk was made and in less than five minutes, Sarah was back in her room. Karen had a rule about only eating in the kitchen, dinning room or outside which she strictly enforced, but tonight Sarah could not bring herself to care about it. She quickly polished off her plate, sating her ravenous hunger created by her cleaning spree and then went into the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth and do the other things that one does before going to bed.

Dressed in a clean cotton shift, Sarah collapsed into her soft, welcoming bed. She was asleep within moments.

* * *

That night Sarah dreamt of a silent, full crystal moon that shed its bright light over her still form all night. The moon seemed so hauntingly familiar, like the full moons on clear nights in her world only bigger, whiter and even more lovely and mysterious. The girl-child on the verge of womanhood who had stolen the Goblin King's heart awoke the next morning knowing that things were far from over. One day she knew that she would come into contact with the fantastical and supernatural again.

* * *

Reviews are greatly welcome and appreciated.


	2. The beginning

Moon Child

By WhiteInfinity21

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth.

* * *

Chapter 2: The Beginning

After her dream about the full crystal moon, Sarah spent every spare minute she had at the local library looking up information about any and all mystical and magical aspects of the moon and the lunar cycle that she could. Her parents had noticed her odd behavior and had commented on it to Sarah, but she assured them that nothing was wrong. Since all she technically was doing was spending time at the library, even coming home before curfew, her father and Karen thought nothing of it.

What Sarah neglected to inform them was that she was reading the books she had checked out from the library half the night, not going to bed until she was practically falling asleep at her vanity. Sarah didn't even attempt to explain her sudden interest in the lunar cycle to her father and Karen. After her experience with them and her love of all things fantasy, she knew that they would never understand.

_Too tied to their material existence,_ Sarah thought, _those who only believe in what their eyes observe can never comprehend the things that exist just out the range of vision and reality. _

But as her father and step-mother kept on casting worried and suspicious glances at her when they thought she wasn't looking, Sarah became aware that her interest in the moon was starting to border on obsession. Soon as she found herself taking the bus to other farther out libraries to find new material, she came to admit that there was something unnatural with her sudden interest. Sarah almost felt that something or someone was compelling her to learn as much as she could about lunar magic and mysticism, as if preparation for something in the near future.

It didn't help that every night since the first one after she returned from the Labyrinth she had been dreaming of the full crystal moon. Her dreams were dominated by the silent image and she dreamed of nothing else. For almost two months things continued on like this, spending every available minute immersed in books during the daytime and dreaming of the crystal moon while she slept.

Sarah was becoming even more withdrawn from her family and friends at school and her grades were suffering. It was after the school had called about her third failed test that her dad had grounded her and had forbid her from going to the library any more. Sarah had sat and stewed in her room for a week after her dad's announcement, becoming more and more restless. Without recourse of the books she was researching at the library, inactivity and boredom quickly ate away at the teen.

Tempers in the William's household were quickly fraying and more than once Sarah had gotten into an explosive argument with Karen and even sometimes with her father. Her dreams of the crystal moon continued and if anything, the moon seemed to be growing even bigger. The only time that there was peace in the house was when Sarah was playing with Toby.

Her parents, Karen especially, were baffled to Sarah's sudden overnight change in attitude towards the baby. Whereas before she could hardly stand to be in the same room with the toddler, she now positively adored the little tyke. Her father and step-mother, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth quietly accepted the unexplainable change.

* * *

A sense of anticipation filled Sarah as the weather grew colder. As September came closer to an end, the champion of the Labyrinth knew deep in her bones that a big, life-changing event was just over the horizon, that all the preparation she had been undergoing was about to pay off. Sarah had no idea what was coming, just that she was looking forward to it with all her being.

It was the day before the night of the full moon and Sarah's already short temper was ready to spark at the slightest thing. She was halfway into her history class after lunch when it had happened. One of her classmates had made an offhand comment about something that she couldn't even remember later and she lost it. Sarah jerked to her feet and had stomped over and slapped the girl across the face. The teacher quickly intervened and Sarah had gotten into a yelling match with her history teacher.

Security came in ten minutes later and escorted Sarah to the principal's office where her step-mother was called and Sarah was suspended from school for two weeks. The moment Karen came barreling into the office, pissed as hell, she and Sarah engaged in an even more spectacular screaming match. The fight lasted almost fifteen minutes before Karen barely got her anger under control and dragged Sarah out of the office and shoved her into the car.

The ride home was filled with tense silence, and the moment the car screeched into the driveway, Sarah stormed up to her bedroom without a word.

"I just don't get it!" Sarah screamed into her pillow, "why is Karen being such a super-bitch? Why does everyone have to stick their noses into my business? Why can't they just leave me alone? If they had just let me continue going to the library, hell, if they had even let me out of the house once in a while, this never would have happened. Stupid, insufferable, meddling adults!"

"Sarah! Keep it down up there!" Karen screeched from downstairs in the kitchen, "I don't want to hear another word from you, you are in serious trouble girl! Just wait until your father comes home, I'm sure that he will finally be able to straighten you out!"

"Shut up you miserable hag!" Sarah yelled back, "I've had it with your insistent nagging!"

"That's it!" Karen screamed as she stomped upstairs.

She threw open Sarah's bedroom door.

"I just don't know what to do to get through to you," she yelled, "I try my hardest to be a good role model to you, make sure that you have three square meals a day and this is how you repay me? With such willful disobedience?"

"Role model? Like hell?" Sarah screamed back, "all you do is nag me to death and try to mold me into the perfect little housewife. Did the thought ever cross your pea-sized brain that I don't want to be your little clone? I am my own person, stop trying to make me something that I'm not!"

Karen's face turned red as she let out a stream of screeching, incomprehensible sentences.

"And you will have no dinner tonight!" she finished as she slammed the door on her way out.

"Fine with me! I hate your bad cooking anyway!" Sarah called after her.

After her step-mother's departure, Sarah quietly fumed before she fell into a restless slumber. For once in almost two months, Sarah had no dreams.

* * *

Persistent, loud knocking on her bedroom door dragged Sarah from her sleep. As she fully came awake, the knocking continued.

"Go away!" she moodily yelled.

"Sarah, open up! It me, your father," a male voice yelled through the door.

"Why do I want to talk to you?" she called back, "you are on the witch's side anyway, you have been since she came to live with us."

"That's it young lady!" Robert growled, "I'm coming in, right now!"

"See if I care," Sarah retorted.

"I think that you will once you learn what your punishment is," Robert spoke after coming into her room.

"I don't care," Sarah mumbled.

"That attitude is what got you in this trouble in the first place, missy," her father lectured, "and after discussing this with Karen, both of us have decided to send you to a private Catholic school, known for cracking down on troublesome teens."

Sarah couldn't believe that this was happening. Her mind shut down. She could distantly hear her father explaining some more things, but she didn't pay attention. Tears started coursing down her face. It wasn't true, they couldn't be sending her away. She though that her father at the least loved her.

_Looks as if I was wrong_, Sarah bitterly thought, _I really have no place here. It has been made painfully apparent to me._

"I don't belong here," she repeated out loud, "no one in this house cares about me, everyone at school practically hates me and no one ever gives me any respect in the streets. I don't belong in this family or this town. Hell! I don't even belong in this world."

And that was the real truth Sarah finally realized. Her journey through the Labyrinth had opened her eyes to the truth and the dreams of the crystal moon and her search for knowledge about it only reinforced it. The fact that she was being sent away only drove the point painfully home. Sarah snarled and punched her pillow in frustration. If she didn't belong here, where did she belong?

With a sigh, she looked out her window and saw the almost full moon. Tomorrow was the Autumn Equinox and the full moon as well. A very rare occurrence, Sarah recalled from her research. If anything were to happen that would lead her to where she belonged, it would happen tomorrow. She knew that without a doubt.

That assurance in mind, Sarah was finally able to fall asleep.

* * *

She dreamed that night of the full crystal moon, bigger than it had ever been.

* * *

Sarah didn't escape her dreams the next day until jut after two in the afternoon. Quietly getting out of bed and dressed, Sarah listened for sounds of voices coming from downstairs. Everything was silent in the house. Sarah let out a sigh of relief, she did not feel like confronting her father or Karen at all today. She was still pissed as hell at them and knew if she saw either one of them that she wouldn't be able to hold her temper in check.

Sarah jerked the refrigerator door open and looked inside. After a quick scan she decided and pulled out ingredients for a quick sandwich. She sat at the table brooding as she munched her sandwich, trying to figure out what to do to get out of this mess. The thought of running away crossed her mind more than once. The sounds of her father's car pulling into the driveway alerted Sarah to her parent's return just as she finished her glass of orange juice. Soundlessly, she padded back upstairs to her room and shut and locked her door.

The voices of Robert's and Karen's voices drifted up as they were immersed in a deep conversation. The sound of their footfalls on the stairs as they climbed up them told Sarah that they were most likely going to check in on her. She was glad more than ever that she had already locked her door. Sure, enough a few minutes later, the doorknob rattled about as one of them tried to get in.

Hushed whispers were traded back and forth before they decided to leave Sarah alone. Relief swept through Sarah as she heard them go back downstairs. She was emotionally wrung out and exhausted and minutes later she was softly snoring.

* * *

The red numbers of her alarm clock informed Sarah that it was 9:16pm when she woke up. Sarah could hear the sounds coming of Karen washing the dishes after dinner from the kitchen. Languorously Sarah stretched and heard a few of her vertebra pop. Warily, she got to her feet and cracked open her bedroom door, in hopes of catching a few words of her parent's conversation.

"I swear, Robert." Karen exclaimed, "ever since that Sunday night two months ago, Sarah had been acting so out of hand. I just don't know what has gotten into the girl."

"I know, dear," Robert responded, "nothing has been the same ever since then."

"It's almost as if her time spent reading all those books filled with rubbish about the moon have gone to her head," Karen continued, "I just don't see her interest in the dratted subject. I almost think that her search has driven the girl slightly mad."

_Slightly mad?_ Sarah thought, puzzled, _come to think of it….I have been obsessed with my studies. I really have changed in the last few months, and I'm not sure that I entirely like it._

"It has got to be those dreams," Sarah realized, "they must have had more of an influence on me than I had thought. But what does this all mean? Am I going insane?"

Another thought struck her.

_No, not insane,_ Sarah thought, _at least not in the way they are describing it. I came across a mention of this in the literature. It talked about people in the old country that had gone moon mad after spending too much of their time under its influence._

Sarah giggled, the thought was just too hysterical.

"I have gone completely moon mad!" she announced.

The voices downstairs abruptly stopped.

Panic flashed across Sarah's face. She had to get out of her and he had to do it now! But the only way out of the house from upstairs was by going right past her parents. That was something she certainly did not want to happen. After hearing her exclamation, they were more likely to ship her off to the Looney bin than to a private Catholic school. She was trapped! What was she going to do?

_Duh, Sarah you idiot!_ she berated herself, _panicking is the last thing you need to do now. And since when has being grounded prevented you from sneaking out of the house?_

A sly smile slid across her face. In years past after particularly bad arguments with Karen or when she was feeling too restless at night she had climbed down the tree right next to her window and had scampered off into the woods behind her house on more than one occasion.

_Guess that I haven't changed that much if I am still sneaking out of the house like a rebellious child,_ Sarah thought as she was climbing out of her window.

Sarah dropped to the ground with a soft _whump!_

"Now what?" she asked herself.

Sarah looked up at the moon and shrugged her shoulders. She decided to go wherever her feet took her. Her feet, not to Sarah's surprise, started down the familiar path through the woods to her favorite place, the park. The moment she rounded the last corner that brought the park into sight, Sarah froze. Bright, sliver moonlight drenched the park, turning it into an unearthly, surreal scene.

Numbly Sarah walked the last few feet that separated her from the park, stopping when her feet rested on the cool, damp grass. Once again, Sarah's gaze was drawn upward to the full moon. The orb was huge and seemed to fill the sky. Never before had Sarah seen the moon appear to be so close. Slowly Sarah's feet carried her towards her favorite spot where she used to recite lines from her red-bound volume of the Labyrinth play.

And just when Sarah thought that things couldn't get any stranger, it did. One by one figures cloaked in silvery material appeared out of thin air in a loose circle. Her eyes bugged out. That certainly didn't happen too often around here, that's for sure! Instinctively Sarah knew that the cloaked figures were not from this world, or at the least had not been living on earth for quite some time.

Almost against her will Sarah felt herself approaching the figures. One of the hooded figures looked her way. Sarah stopped in her tracks. A light voice floated across the space separating Sarah from the group.

"What brings one such as yourself here on this night?" the figure asked.

"I dreamt of the crystal moon," Sarah replied, a distant part of her mind was wondering where the words she spoke came from.

"And what do you intend to do now?" the figure asked.

"I intend to follow its eternal, hallowed light," Sarah answered.

The figure threw back its hood. Sarah almost gasped. The elongated face before her certainly was not that of a normal human. The skin of the female was as pale as the full moon and her hair was as black as the night sky on the new moon. The female's eyes were silver and shinning faintly, her aquiline features could be considered beautiful except for a network of faint scars that ran across her face like a spider web. The feature that had drawn Sarah's gaze was the blue crescent moon that was tattooed onto the female's forehead.

After the female had given Sarah enough time to study her profile, she spoke again.

"Then welcome sister in spirit," she spoke with a smile, "long has it been since one of your race has dreamed of the moon."

The others took that as a silent signal as they too, one-by-one drew back their hoods, allowing Sarah to see their faces. Some were breath-takingly enchanting while one or two were downright frightful to look upon. One of the more disquieting members of the circle actually had no eyes in their face and when that person smiled, Sarah could catch the glint of moonlight off of small fangs. For all their strangeness, Sarah had no fear of these beings.

"Come sister," the eyeless one urged, "let us walk under the moon from this night forward."

The others made motions that conveyed their similar sentiments.

"Yes," Sarah sighed, "by the grace of the moon, I will walk with you."

As if Sarah had just completed some ceremony, the others broke their circle and rushed over to her, greeting her affectionately. Tears were freely flowing down Sarah's face.

"I've found where I belong," Sarah whispered, "at last."

Together the group drew Sarah along with them back into the circle they had arrived in. Everyone linked hands and a soft humming sound filled the still night air. Just as the full moon reached its zenith, the air around the group pulsated and they vanished.

* * *

Tell me what you think of my fic so far. Any suggestions, constructive criticisms? Offers of cookies? Thought not (about the cookies anyway).

So give me a review, please? I'll be your friend.


	3. Out of this world

Moon Child

By Whiteinfinity21

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth.

* * *

Chapter three: Out of this world

Time had no meaning after she left her earthly plain of existence that Sarah had once called home. Everything was now measured in the cycles of the moon. The rituals and ceremonies of the Moon Clan Sarah now lived with grew steadily more elaborate and complex as the moon waxed each cycle, reaching a euphoric climax during each full moon. The nights after the full moon and until the new moon as the heavenly orb waned were a time of rest and recollection. A time without ceremonies celebrating the majesty of the moon, a time of bonding and pursuit of knowledge.

The rituals that the group followed as the moon waxed was loose and flexible. On the night of the moon's rebirth after the dead moon, they performed a welcoming ceremony, encouraging the moon in its growth as it grew. The night of the waxing quarter moon they celebrated the moon reaching maturity. The nights following the waxing quarter were filled with a growing fervor, a giddy energy building up in each Moon Child until it reached a crescendo on the night when the moon was at its peak in strength. The moment the celestial body cast its light onto the darkened landscape the madness over came them and they spent the entire night celebrating the moon's triumphant climax until it disappeared over the horizon.

Each member of the Moon Clan had their own way of celebrating the night of the crystal full moon. Weaver, the porcelain skinned, raven-haired woman with the scars adorning her face spent the night spinning illusions and dreams from the moonlight and whatever else was handy. Her Moon Name was given to her for her ability to spin illusions, dreams and charms from things such as moonlight, the wind, strands of music, darkness, laughter, and blood.

Oracle, the one born without eyes, spent the night staring at the moon with its sightless face in meditation, being able to see far more with its mind's eyes than with physical ones. True to Oracle's use name, it could actually catch glimpses of the future occasionally and was able to see and detect things that the others couldn't even imagine existed.

A tall, thin elfin-like being with furred, tufted ears like a bobcats' called Arrow spent the night hunting out malicious spirit and other metaphysical creatures, offering the blood from each kill to the silent silver orb over head. Arrow was called so for his straight arrow sense of morals as well as his perfect aim with any long distance weapon imaginable.

The others had their own unique Moon Names and own forms of celebrating moon's might on the full moon. Not one of them did things in the same way just as they were all of different races. Sarah herself could bring name to only two of the types of beings that were part of the Moon Clan. She herself was the only human, but Oracle told her once during a dead moon night that she most likely wouldn't stay that way. The crystal moon tended to have strange effects on those who basked directly under its light and influence for any great length of time.

Sarah had yet to receive her moon-given use name. Until she received the mark of the crescent moon upon her brow, she was not a full Moon Child. Not all of the Moon Children's crescent marks were physically imprinted upon their skin like Weaver's was. Some like Oracle had an energy stamp twined into their auras or astral souls. Sarah was unsure of what type of marking she would receive. So until she received her mark, they simply referred to her as child or sister.

The cycles of the moon continued on unceasingly, one cycle turning into another without pause. During the time, Sarah grew close to the other Moon Children in the clan and came to regard them as her second family. Arrow was like an older brother to her, always looking out for her welfare and helping her out. Weaver was like an older aunt, always willing to lend Sarah a supportive ear. Oracle had become like a stern and wise but caring elder to Sarah and when she had a question she had no answer for she often sought out Oracle for its advice.

It was a few days before what would have been her twenty-second birthday if she still was back on earth when Sarah felt the call. The madness after the waxing crescent was stronger this cycle than it had ever been before. Sarah often times was filled with the wild urge to run off and cavort around under the moonlight, her moves gradually becoming a dance-like pattern of sorts. The others watched the changes occurring within Sarah with interest. They knew that something growing and blossoming within the girl after so many years under the moonlight.

The night of the full moon was unlike anything anyone had ever seen (with the exception of Oracle). For when the moon rose right after the sun set, it was not the familiar orb that greeted them. Instead of the beloved visage on the orb's distant surface, the moon seemed to be like a glass ball filled with swirling mists in white, silver and grey.

Everyone in the group for the first time in their lives were not consumed by the madness and simply stared at the haunting moon that adorned the night sky. Muted whispers ran like wildfire through the clan, numerous explanations and theories about what had caused the change being created and discarded at a rapid rate. The voices were gradually growing louder when Oracle made a cutting motion with its hand and silence fell over the group.

"Look," it said, "one among us is not effected like the rest. Take a good look at our young sister and see her first ceremony that she performs for the moon all of her own creation."

Look they did. For there she was, long dark brown hair streaming out behind her, her loose flowing silver-blue dress whirling around her fluidly moving form as she danced with wild abandon in the moon drenched meadow that they had chosen to give homage to the full moon that night. Her motions had no set pattern, one movement flowing into another. She resembled a scarf fluttering in a breeze or a leaf tumbling in a stream. Strands of almost inaudible music floated around the meadow as she danced, growing stronger as her motions picked up speed.

The others watched awed as Sarah performed her own unique full moon ritual. They were totally caught off guard when words in a language known to none of them poured from her mouth in perfect accompaniment with her dance and the music it was generating. As her motions and words became less fluid and more impassioned, Sarah started to faintly glow and even started floating off the ground by a few inches. Now unencumbered by the ground and even gravity itself to a lesser degree, Sarah glided across the meadow, almost faster than the eye could see.

Oracle, the one born blind, was the only one who was able to keep up with her dance. For it watched the swirls of energy and magic that was gathering around the girl instead of the dance itself. Faster and faster Sarah went, her motion blurring before the other's eyes. Oracle obviously knew that something was off and it called out a warning too late.

"No sister!" it called, "slow down, you are to close to slipping past the barrier that divides the levels of reality, you are in mortal danger!"

But Oracle's words came too late. Sarah disappeared in a flash of silver light.

* * *

Swirling chaotic energies and colors rushed past her. She was lost and tumbling around in the ebb and flow of powers between the plains of existence. She had no control over her body and was at the mercy of the currents around her. Sarah was jerked to and fro, hanging limply like a rag doll being shaken by a dog.

For how long she was tossed and tumbled around she couldn't say, but she gradually became aware that she was being dragged in a certain direction. She could see strands of pale, translucent light creeping around her body and pulling her away from the rest of the chaotically moving energies. As she drew further away from the area in-between worlds she saw a speck of light far off in the distance.

The speck of light grew bigger as she drew closer. Alarm raced through her when she discovered that it was the strange mist-filled moon that she was approaching. Before she could stop it the orb filled her entire range of vision and she passed through the moon's surface like a ghost. The sliver mist within surrounded her on all sides and seemed to caress her chilled skin.

An alien presence came into her mind. It seemed older than time itself and was something wholly alien to her own spirit. But for all its strangeness, Sarah felt no threat from the presence. Quite the opposite in fact. It welcomed her and seemed to rejoice in her being there.

*_Oh how long has it been since one of my children have come to me_* a soft voice whispered into her mind.

"Who are you?" Sarah asked.

*_Why I am the Mother of all the Moon Children, I am the Lady of the Crystal Moon_*

"Do you have a name?"

*_I am known by many different names to my children both in the past and in the future. You may refer to me as Selene if you must_.*

"Why am I here Selene?" Sarah asked.

*_I need to give to you a gift that required your presence in my home to deliver._*

"Why do I need such a thing? I am happy with being simply your child. You have given me a home where I had thought none existed."

*_True, you are one of my children. But I was unable to find you until another magic had touched you first_.*

"What do you mean Lady Moon?"

*_Why your trip in the Underground of course!_*

Sarah's mouth fell open.

Silvery laughter rang out around her.

*_You truly are amusing and precious child._*

"Huh?" was Sarah's intelligent reply.

Laughter again.

*_There is a reason for this gift that I'm giving you,_* the voice explained, *_for there is something you must do child. A task you must fulfill in a place that is wholly different from the realm of the lunar lands. I give you this gift along with my blessing, you will need both to carry out your task._*

A soft, comforting light started gathering around Sarah. It seeped into her skin, concentrating on the area in the middle of her forehead. Sarah felt as insubstantial as a cloud, as if the slightest breeze could tear her apart. Every part of her being was shifting, melting and reforming.

When at last the light receded and the changes within her died down, Sarah felt as she was reborn. Gone was the parts of her that still had ties to her old existence. She was free and untethered, able to go where the winds and her whims took her. Sarah also had the distinct feeling that she was no longer human in any sense of the term. She was a creature of the moon in all entirety.

*_It is time you return to the others child_* the voice spoke as it started to fade, *_but before you go I give you your moon name. I call you Luna, daughter of my heart, for you have a connection with me much closer than most others._*

The mists around Sarah started to fade out.

*_Go with the moonlight and follow you heart daughter._* was the parting words of the goddess before her mind went blank.

* * *

"Sister, sister oh please wake up!" a pleading voice begged above her.

Sarah's eyes fluttered open.

"Oh blessed Diana she is awake!" another voice announced.

"Child, you gave us all a scare," the voice that Sarah recognized as Arrow's spoke.

"What happened?" Sarah asked weakly.

"You were dancing round and round the meadow, singing and producing your own music out of thin air," Weaver answered, "you were starting to glow when you disappeared in a flash. You have been gone since then until the moon was almost below the eastern horizon."

"I remember being tossed about it the energies between the plains," Sarah recalled, "then somehow I entered the strange mist-filled moon and I met the-"

"Don't tell us anything about your encounter," Oracle cut her off, "what happened there was meant for only you to know."

"I'm just glad that you came back safely sister," Weaver replied.

"We don't have to call her sister anymore," Oracle softly spoke.

Excited whispers broke out among the group.

"Well done sister," Arrow congratulated.

"What is your moon name?" another asked.

"Luna," Sarah simply replied.

Someone gasped. Oracle swiftly inhaled.

"That is monumental news indeed," Weaver pointed out.

"Is there something unusual about my Moon Name?" Sarah asked worried.

"I'm afraid that this means that your moon path is different from the clan's" Oracle explained, "to bestow a name that reflects Her nature on you means that Our Lady intends for you to have a destiny apart from the Moon Clan's. "

"What?" Sarah gasped.

"You will soon depart sister Luna," Oracle announced, "where you will end up only Our Lady knows."

"It's not fair!" Sarah yelled, "I thought that I belonged here. Are you telling me that there is no place that I can permanently call home?"

"You do have a place where you belong waiting out there for you Luna," Weaver consoled, "it just isn't with us it seems."

"Why?" Sarah pleaded.

"Because that is just the way it is," Oracle concluded, "I know that it hurts child but…"

Oracle trailed off. Suddenly its entire body went rigid. Everyone knew what that meant, it was receiving a glimpse of the future.

"**You will bring hope to one who has long been denied it**," Oracle spoke in a thick, toneless voice, "**You shall collect a child that a kingdom desperately needs with the help of one who is close to your heart. You will find happiness and will in return give happiness to many others. The moon shall claim its wayward child in the end.**"

Oracle gave a shudder and slumped to the ground. Cries of alarm escaped from many. Never had a sending hit Oracle hard. Everyone in the Moon Clan knew that the foretelling was for Sarah. They also knew that without a doubt that it was time for Sarah to leave.

"Though it was only for a short time," Arrow admitted, "you were the little sister I never had."

"Everyone here has come to cherish you sister Luna," Weaver added, "we shall miss you, and our hearts will always be with you."

Oracle at this point shook off its weak spell.

"Though many of us have been walking under the moonlight with this clan for decades, centuries even," Oracle spoke, "you have become as close to me as any blood daughter of mine would have."

Sarah couldn't hold back anymore. Sobbing, she flung herself at Oracle and tightly embraced the being. Swiftly the others joined her, hugging her from all sides. It was just like the first time they had met and welcomed Sarah into their clan back at the park so long ago. But this time they were saying good-bye instead of hello.

Sarah didn't want to go. But even as she clung to the others, she could feel herself fading away from them. Then she was falling, falling, drifting downward through the ether till for what seemed like forever till she finally came to a stop.

* * *

The mists of Between cleared from her sight. She was standing on a knoll that overlooked a small town filled with odd beings. A breeze tugged at her hair and she absentmindedly tucked a few errant strands behind her ear. Further northward, mountains looming in the distance came into sight, the snow caps on the tops sticking out like glittering teeth. Slowly her gaze dragged to the west and a vast stretch of forest interspersed with marshes came into view.

Sarah glanced down at her feet, green vibrant grass stuck up around her bare feet, tickling her toes. Sarah breathed deeply, inhaling the clean scents of grass and rich earth as her eyes snapped back towards the town. Something out of the corner of her eye to the east caught her attention. A vast sparkling blue ocean stretched as far as the eye could see. It was entrancing. Sarah spent several minutes taking the scene in. Already she could feel herself falling in love with this new land.

Finally she turned around and looked to the south behind her. Her breath caught in her throat. For about twenty miles away from her sprawled a very familiar sight. Sarah gulped. The Labyrinth in all of its glory was laid out before her, challenging all who dared enter its corridors. She couldn't believe it. She was back, back in the Underground, where she never thought she would return to.

* * *

Took three chapters to get to this point, but I felt that it was necessary to tell a bit of what happened to Sarah between the time she vanished from Earth and came back to the Underground. Stay tuned next chapter to see what our favorite monarch in skin-tight pants has been up to since Sarah's first rampage through the labyrinth and what is going through his head now.

Give me a review and tell me what you think so far. Thoughts, comments, questions, constructive criticism? All are welcomed. Flames will be used as party favors of the fireys.


	4. Wistful Musings

Moon Child

By Whiteinfinity21

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth.

* * *

Chapter Four: Wistful Musings

He had been angry, absolutely livid when that ungrateful girl had so haughtily announced that he had no power over her. Who was she, a puny, insignificant wisp of a mortal girl, to claim superiority over him, the Goblin King? One could say that at that point, Jareth was royally pissed.

For the next several days, the goblins stayed far, far away from the castle and any other spot that the king was known to haunt, in fear of receiving a nasty kick from the royal boot. Or worse, a one-way trip to an Oubliette or the bog. Almost a week after The Girl had left with the babe the Goblin King had finally had stopped his ranting and sulking and had grudgingly retuned to his duties. Cautiously his subjects started venturing back into the castle and eventually resumed their normal rowdy behavior in the throne room and anywhere else that had mud, chickens or booze.

Jareth had resolutely pushed the girl from his mind. He had no right to keep mooning over Sarah, he had a kingdom to run and he couldn't properly do that if he was always pinning over her. It was several weeks later when he come to the conclusion that during their final confrontation that Sarah had not purposely rejected him. She had been so caught up in her role, Jareth mused upon reflection, that his words probably had not even registered in her mind. Not to mention the fact that she was woefully under aged by her society's standards for the kind of relationship he was asking of her.

And so the months went by and the seasons kept on changing. Summer turned into fall, fall gave way to winter, the snows melted and the new life of spring blossomed, the grains ripened and spring melted into summer as the cycle started anew. The poignant loss of Sarah's victory faded, replaced with a wistful longing.

He had looked upon the girl once twice in the months that followed her departure from the Underground. She seemed relatively happy and that made Jareth content. The first time he had checked on her, she was celebrating with her friends from the Labyrinth the night after she won her brother back. The second time he saw her, she was pouring over a book in a library, a look of intense concentration on her face as she delved into the mysteries that the text contained. Seeing her like had made his heart ache painfully, bringing back feelings best left buried. That was the final time he checked on her.

And so life in the Underground continued. Jareth kept on collecting the children from the Aboveground that were wished away, making those who wished away their burdens run the Labyrinth if they demanded the child back. Most never got very far, and Jareth watched their futile efforts emotionlessly. After Sarah's run, none of the runners ever made it past the first Oubliette, losing their determination at the thought of being stuck in a dank pit for many hours before their time expired and they were sent back childless.

The story of Sarah's journey through the Labyrinth stuck around for a few months in the Goblin City before fading into the background with all the other myths and legends of the Underground. For the most part, her tale remained forgotten, written down on some musty scroll in a dark storage room of the royal library. Jareth was perfectly content to let her legend fade into obscurity. In a way that meant that her tale was his alone, like he preferred it.

Once in a while a stray thought about Sarah washed across Jareth's mind. It didn't happen very often, mostly when there was a runner in the Labyrinth. After almost a decade the only feelings the subject of his one and only defeat brought up was a wistful longing. But he was happy now that she had refused him in a way. For if she had truly decided to stay, he would have had to watch her grow old and eventually die before his eyes while he stayed young as ever.

Better to have the image of the youthful Sarah in his mind than to have to watch her fade before his very eyes. For having death take her away from him would be a thousand times more painful and heartbreaking than her victory over him would ever be. No, it truly was better this way, for she would always be the defiant fiery girl-almost woman in his mind, in a roundabout way making her his forever if only in his imagination.

* * *

Jareth would have been perfectly happy to have things continue on as they were going, but alas change is inevitable. His fragile peace of mind that had fallen over him was not to last.

It started with the arrival of a wandering bard coming to his kingdom and requesting to look at the royal library for material for a ballad or two. Jareth had passively agreed, thinking the request absolutely harmless. He didn't even bother to send a servant to watch the bard's activities as he searched through the library, a mistake he later came to regret.

The bard had spent a few days going through the library before he came across a text that caught his attention. He had asked for some parchment and writing tools. The Goblin King had absentmindedly fulfilled his request. The next day, the bard departed, having found what he was looking for. Jareth didn't even bother to see him off, having no interest in what he had found or the song that would come from it. He should have, perhaps if he had actually looked at what the bard had found, Jareth would have been saved much annoyance in the future.

Several months later, a different wandering musician, much less well known, came to the Goblin City to try and make some profit. Being a no-name, beginner minstrel, he had checked into the cheapest, half-way decent tavern he could afford and had played his fiddle and sang his songs for the evening's patrons. Apparently the kid had talent, since the number of customers at the tavern doubled the next night and there were even more the one after that.

By the end of the week the newbie was lodged in one of the more well known and higher quality taverns and was making decent earning from his nightly performances. Word quickly spread across the city about the young, nameless musician. It seemed like everyone had gone to at least once to listen to him play. Not only did the kid have a wicked talent with that fiddle of his, but one of his songs in particular became an instant hit among the Labyrinth's citizens.

Jareth had been strolling through the public gardens one sunny afternoon, when he heard a few lines one a young guard with a sweet voice was singing to entertain his friends and his sweetheart. The tune was catchy and Jareth drew closer to better make out the lyrics. A few lines into the song, Jareth's blood ran cold. For it seemed that someone had unearthed the tale of Sarah's journey through the Labyrinth and had made a ballad out of it.

Jareth's mind flashed back to that bard that had come months ago to look at the royal library. A wordless snarl escaped his lips as teleported back to his personal chambers. He couldn't believe it that that cheeky bard had the audacity to make a song out of his most closely cherished memory. Now the tale of the girl and the Goblin King was being told in dozens of different kingdoms in the form of a popular and catchy song. He wanted to kill the man. It was like that the creation of this song had tarnished Jareth's fond memory of Sarah.

He spent that night drinking himself into insensibility. The next day he awoke with a nasty hangover and spent the rest of the day in a foul mood, kicking any goblin that he came across straight into the twisting corridors of the Labyrinth. It seemed that everywhere he went he heard the song being repeated, even worse, being embellished upon. The Goblin King swore that if that blasted bard ever entered his kingdom that he would spend a month hanging by his toes as punishment for creating that piece of trash.

As it was, the song had grown so popular among his subjects and at every mention of repetition of the piece, Jareth became even more short tempered. Just three weeks after the young minstrel's arrival in the Goblin City, he found himself being escorted out of the Labyrinth by the goblin guard with the command to never set foot in this kingdom again.

Of course that didn't stop the citizens of the Goblin City from continuing to repeat that song. Much as he wanted to, it was hardly fair for Jareth to throw every person who sang that dratted song into jail. So the Goblin King just sat there and stewed every time it was repeated. Needless to say that the number of goblins getting a bath in the Bog of Eternal Stench was higher than it had ever been. Jareth was not a happy camper.

His subjects quickly learned to not sing the piece of doggerel in his presence since almost everyone who did received a boot to the behind that sent them sailing up to fifty feet away. Goblin King aside, the song was just too popular and fun to sing to just stop repeating it.

The song about Sarah's exploits while running the Labyrinth was not the only thing that was vexing the Goblin King's mind. Not only had all his old feelings about Sarah been dragged back to the surface, but he was not sleeping very well at night. Something or someone was trying to get into his dreams while he slumbered. Only the strong barriers that the Labyrinth had to keep out foreign magics was preventing the unknown sender from getting in.

The presence didn't seem to be malevolent but it was bloody persistent and was very powerful. Whatever it was, it wanted to contact Jareth and he wanted nothing to do with it. Every time he woke up in the middle of the night after the presence tried once again to access his dreams he grew more short-tempered.

Everyone now, not only the goblins gave the king a wide berth, not wanting to incur his wrath. For while he certainly did not do anything out of line to those who inadvertently got on his bad side, they almost always left with a pounding headache and a nasty bruise on their backside.

It was when Jareth had been in this upset and frazzled state of mind when he had felt a shifting of the energies in the area just outside of his kingdom's borders. It was very faint and hardly detectable at first, but as they days went by, it grew stronger and even the most magicless creature in the Labyrinth could feel the gathering energies.

Almost a week passed as the energy continued to grow, and with it, the entity's attempts to get into his dreams grew stronger as well. Jareth was full of pent up anger and was likely to explode at any time. He was now taking long nightly flights across his entire kingdom in his owl form to try and tire himself out enough to not have any dreams. It didn't work, but Jareth did not stop his flights. In a way they were a much needed release for the fed-up Goblin King.

Then on the night of the full moon, the gathering energy started growing unbelievably fast. Those most sensitive to magic were forced to their beds with a massive headache, moaning about the terrible pressure that the energy was creating.

Jareth unluckily was one of those unfortunates. Being the Goblin King meant that he had to be very sensitive to changes in his kingdom, both those of his subjects and of the ones of the more magical kind. His own massive, throbbing headache had rendered Jareth practically senseless and he was cursing the foreign power that was trying to invade his dreams, certain that it was the source of his misery.

Those who were not detained to their beds by the energy induced headache watched in awe and even fear as the moon rose above the eastern horizon. The normal orb that dominated the night sky was very different this night. Instead of being like a huge glowing moonstone in the sky, it seemed to be filled with swirling mists. Many put two and two together and made the connection between the rising energies and this change in the moon.

The growing energy seemed to reach a crescendo as the moon reached its peak in the sky. An odd silence fell across the Labyrinth as the heavy pressure created by all the energy, disappeared with an audible pop. Instantly all those suffering from their headaches passed out and slipped into a heavy slumber.

It was that night when the presence that had been trying to contact Jareth in his dreams finally was able to breach the Labyrinth's magical barriers. For while it was for only a moment, a picture of a fuzzy, shinning silver orb flashed into Jareth's dreams before vanishing.

Everyone in the Labyrinth seemed to heave a simultaneous sigh of relief at the sudden absence of the growing energies. Quietly those who were still up went back to their homes and slipped into their beds. The whole kingdom was silent as its inhabitants slept the sleep of the dead. If anyone had still been awake as the strange moon slipped past the western horizon they would have seen the faint, silver streak of light shoot out from the setting orb and arch over the sky as it flew over and past the Labyrinth fading as it softly made contact on the earth, well outside the Labyrinth's boundaries.

Everyone in the kingdom slept soundly in a well-deserved, restful slumber. For now they could sleep untroubled. The next day when they awoke they would feel revitalized, almost as if one was coming out of a distant dream. They would need that peaceful rest, for what the moon had delivered from afar into the Underground would soon stir up a whole new type of trouble.

* * *

Give me a review and tell me what you think so far. Thoughts, comments, questions, constructive criticism? All are welcomed. Flames will be used as party favors of the fireys.


	5. First Encounters

Moon Child

By Whiteinfinity21

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth.

* * *

Chapter Five: First Encounters

As the minutes trickled by, Sarah became aware of slight differences between this Labyrinth and the one from her memory. While looking just as mighty and challenging as ever, there seemed to be less vitality, less color in the place. Right before her eyes she saw the Labyrinth shift, displaying parts of the interior that she had not seen the first time she over looked the maze. A flash of green came and went as the living Labyrinth moved again, which could only be a part of the hedge maze or the Fiery's forest, Sarah concluded.

Looking at the place that had awoken her moon aligned gifts, Sarah once again experienced the feeling in being in the presence so much mightier and more formable than her own. In a way it reminded Sarah of her meeting with the moon goddess, Selene (which was only one of the many, many names she was known by). But the impression that she got from the giant, sprawling maze was one of a much different nature than the one she had gotten from her matron goddess. While both had that air of infinite timelessness about them, the Labyrinth had a much earthier feel about it while Selene for lack of a better term was more like air, light and mist.

The big question on Sarah's mind was why had Selene sent her here? What task could she, the recently moon-named Luna, do that the great moon goddess herself was unable to? The moon must have some influence in the Underground, otherwise Selene would have never been able to deliver her back here. What was so special about Sarah, the simple mortal girl, that the moon goddess made her a personal visit? She was just another Moon Child, nothing more and nothing less, just like her companions in the wandering Moon Clan.

_Wait a second_, Sarah though as something Oracle once told her came to the surface of her mind.

_"While mortal you may be child," the sightless being told Sarah who had only come to them a few moons ago, "such a state of being is subject to change. The celestial light in the Lunar Lands tends to have peculiar effects on those who bask under the moon for any great length of time."_

Sarah had tried to pry more out of Oracle about what that meant, but the genderless entity refused to say anymore on the matter.

_I guess judging by the way time passes on Earth, I spent over seven years in the Lunar Lands,_ Sarah mused, _surely that counts for being a good length of time. I wonder what effect the moon had on me during that time?_

"Guess that I'll never find out," Sarah spoke out loud.

She studied the far away Goblin Kingdom for several more moments.

"So now what?" Sarah asked herself, "now that I'm here, do I make another visit to the Labyrinth or do I head elsewhere in the Underground? There must be more here than just the Labyrinth."

"Aye, that there be lassie," a raspy voice behind her spoke, startling Sarah and making her jump a few inches in the air.

'Who? What?" Sarah blurted out.

"Calm down youngling, no need to get all worked up," the raspy voice chuckled, "I'm 'ardly dangerous."

"Things are never what they seem here," Sarah remembered as she turned around to look at the person who was behind her.

"True, true," the old, heavily wrinkled, scraggly-toothed hag acknowledged, "but in my case, what you see is what you get."

"If this was one of the fairy tales from my childhood, your presence here would hardly be coincidental," Sarah observed suspiciously, "for all I know you are here to test me or give me a poisoned apple."

_Or more like a drugged peach in my case,_ Sarah thought.

"Nah girly, M 'ardly an evil queen or a fairy godmother," the old hag chuckled, "only reason I found you was because I was taking me weekly stroll to collect herbs that grow in these here hereabouts. 'ardly anything magical bout that, just collection things for me simples."

"I guess that makes you more of a hedge witch," Sarah commented with a grin.

"Watch it youngster!" the hag scolded, "while I may be a bit long of tooth, doesn't mean that I can't deliver you a sound thrashing!"

"I don't doubt it granny!" Sarah laughed.

"Youngins these days," the old woman grumbled, "no respect for their betters."

"Why should I when I have stood up to royalty and gotten away with it?" Sarah cheekily asked.

"That's who you remind me of!" the old hag exclaimed, "you're just like that headstrong maiden in that song that has been so popular lately in my village!"

Sarah looked on in bemusement as the hag grumbled to herself trying to recall more about the song.

"That it!" she announced, "you remind me of that girl, what was her name again? Oh that's right, Sarah the Stubborn, in "The Girl and the Goblin King", lord is that a catchy tune!"

Sarah sputtered, her race against time to get Toby back a song! How ridiculous… how insulting… it really must get on the Goblin King's nerves every time he hears it.

_On second thought, I think I like it,_ Sarah decided.

"So I remind you of the girl?" Sarah asked, amused.

"What girl?" the old woman asked distractedly looking about.

"The girl with the power," Sarah spoke, the words falling out of her mouth without her conscious decision.

"What power?" the crone asked, still looking for the other girl.

"The power over the Goblin King of course!" Sarah announced with a big grin.

The old woman looked blankly confused for a few seconds then started howling with laughter.

"Oh t'was a good one!" the old woman chuckled, "I could think of the look on King Jareth's face if he 'eard that. Worth more than gold, that. That spoiled king has had 'is pants in a twist lately. 'ardly seen someone in such a foul mood in quite atime."

"Don't you mean a fowl mood? I mean those chickens are everywhere in his castle it seems," Sarah joked.

The old woman was bent over double with laughter this time.

"Oh you have to stop those young lady, you're likeable to make me die of laughter," the old lady scolded, "you seem to have quite the knowledge of the going-ons of the Goblin City. Just where do you come from girl? 'M pretty sure that I would remember that wit o' yours. 'M not that senile!"

Now it was Sarah's time to break out laughing.

"You can give it as well as I can dish it out granny," Sarah praised one she finally got over her laughing fit.

"I 'ave to keep with you youngsters somehow," the old hag pointed out, visibly preening under Sarah's compliment, "you're exactly what I think that Sarah from the song would be once she grew up. What'd you say your name was again?"

"I didn't," Sarah informed her, "but you can call me Luna."

Somehow Sarah was a bit uneasy with telling this old woman her birth name. She wasn't sure that she wanted to be any more associated with her fifteen-year old self that she had been when she had stupidly wished Toby away.

"Luna, eh? 'ardly seems like a name for one with your looks" the old woman observed, "one with your curvy figure and bedroom eyes is better suited being draped on the arm of some foppish young aristocrat that keeps on buying you fancy trinkets. Trinkets that could be sold for good silver and gold when you milked all you could out of the fool. You'd be better named Gloria I'd think."

"I'm not an opportunistic tart!" Sarah exclaimed.

"I never said that _Miss Luna_, if that is your real name," the crone corrected, taking in Sarah's wince at being caught at her white lie, "'M not that unobservant girl. "'M sure that you 'ave a good reason to use a different name, I'm not one to criticize unless criticism is due."

Sarah look visibly relieved at the old woman's announcement. And she wasn't telling a total lie, Luna was a legitimate name for her to use, after all the moon goddess herself had bestowed her with it. She just was stretching the truth a bit. Technically one's moon name was only really used when addressing or being addressed by another moon child. But Sarah supposed that there was nothing wrong with using her moon name in normal conversations with regular people instead of her birth name.

"Though I must say that Luna suits you for some reason," the hag commented, "something that I just can't put my finger one. One thing I do know is that you're not from these parts, I'd bet my britches on it!"

"Well I wouldn't want to deprive you of those," Sarah assured her, "but you're right, not much gets past you. I originally come from Earth."

"Aboveground huh?" the hag puzzled, "I wouldn't have pegged you to be from up there that's for sure. You don't seem to be the type to get along with those stuffy humans who can't look past their own magicless existence."

_You have no idea,_ Sarah thought, old bitter feelings coming up from years long past.

"So what are you doing in these parts Luna?" the old woman inquired.

"Would you believe me if I said that I fell from the moon?" Sarah asked.

"Why not? I've heard of and 'ave seen stranger," the hag answered, "like how a mere slip of a girl could defeat the royal pain at his own game and leave him flat on his face. There were rumors that after she left the Goblin King spent almost a whole week sulking that she went back with her brother. He really was enamored of her if the gossip was to be believed."

An odd painful twinge in Sarah's heart stirred at that bit of information. He couldn't have possibly have loved her after all? It was only a game, a dangerous and tricky one to be sure, but only a game. She had hardly listened to his pleas as she struggled to remember the line that would win her the game and Toby back. What was it that he had actually said? Sarah honestly couldn't remember.

The moon child shrugged, it probably didn't matter much anyhow. If he had ever had feelings for her, surely they would have faded by now. He probably had entirely forgotten her until he heard "The Girl and the Goblin King" for the first time. Oh well, there was nothing to do about it now.

"To be truthful, I really don't have any idea why I am here except that I've been charged with a task that I have no idea of," Sarah admitted.

"That does sound like a problem," the hag agreed, "but standing here flapping your mouth at me won't help you with that issue. But it certainly does give me some juicy gossip for when I return to the village."

"So I'm just a source of idle entertainment?" Sarah demanded.

"Hardly!" the old woman exclaimed, "you're the most interesting thing that has happened since old Mr. Grublin got that weird foot fungus."

"Nice to know that I'm more entertaining that a foot fungus," Sarah wryly commented.

"Much better, by far!" the crone crowed, "that old fuddy-duddy had always been a big grump. Most people in the village try to avoid him whenever possible. But I have been wasting enough time here as it is! Enjoyable as it was. I have to go, nice meeting you Miss Luna."

And with that the old woman hobbled off, disappearing over the other side of the hill. The meeting with the old woman had been unexpected, delightful as it had been, but really hadn't helped much at all and was in reality nothing more than a distraction. Sarah sighed. What to do now?

Sarah looked back at the Labyrinth. She shrugged passively, there really was nothing better to do, and at least she could start off somewhere that she was a bit familiar with. With that decided, Sarah set off down the hill at a quick trot; she had a lot of distance to cover before she even got to the gates of the Labyrinth. And then there was the Labyrinth itself. How would it react to her presence for a second time? The first time it had thrown obstacle after obstacle in her path, constantly testing her determination and cunning, teaching her many valuable lessons in the process.

What awaited her this time around?

"Well I'll never know if I don't get going," Sarah announced as she picked up her pace.

One thing that Sarah was sure of was that she was in for the second adventure of her lifetime. A grin grew on Sarah's face and an odd light flickered into her eyes. She could hardly wait!

* * *

The old crone watched Luna's progress as she from her spot behind a boulder. That girl,…

"No, hardly a girl," the old woman chuckled, "but a formidable woman that lets nothing stand in her way. I pity the poor fool that falls in love with that one. He would his hands full I'd wager."

By now Luna was just a speck in the distance and was rapidly getting farther away.

"She has some good legs on her," the crone observed, "good luck be with ye Sarah, champion of the Goblin King's heart."

* * *

Well I hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter of Moon Child. Please leave me a review telling me what you thought of it. Look forward to the next chappie where strange rumors start reaching the Goblin King and Sarah meets some familiar faces.


	6. Familiar Faces

Moon Child

By Whiteinfinity21

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth.

* * *

Chapter Six- Familiar Faces

Sarah was surprised at how long she had been traveling at this ground-eating lope without getting winded. She figured that she had already gone fifteen miles since she set off from the top of that hill overlooking the distant Labyrinth. And that was only one hour ago. It was mind boggling that she was able to run this fast this long without a single break. She had never been in that good of shape as a child or later as a teen. This sudden increase in stamina could only be a result from the change Selene wrought in her.

Idle thoughts filled her head as she continued on. Sarah wondered how her family was doing? She really didn't miss them or regret leaving them when she joined the Moon Clan. They really never had understood her, with her whimsical attitude and love of fantasy. It only got worse after she experienced the real thing, going Moon Mad not long thereafter. Her parents just didn't seem to care much about their weird daughter and Sarah doubted that Toby even remembered her.

Sarah's mind flashed back to Oracle's prophecy that it gave just moments before Sarah fell down to the Underground. The words came ghosting up from her mind and for the first time since hearing it, Sarah took the moment to closely review exactly what Oracle had predicted.

_"__**You will bring hope to one who has long been denied it**__," Oracle spoke in a thick, toneless voice, "__**You shall collect a child that a kingdom desperately needs with the help of one who is close to your heart. You will find happiness and will in return give happiness to many others. The moon shall claim its wayward child in the end.**__"_

_Well that explains a few things,_ Sarah thought, _Now I at least know what I have to do and how I am going to do it, in a way. I just don't know who the moon's wayward child is or what kingdom in the Underground that I have to help. _

Sarah shrugged off her speculations. She was now within a mile of the Labyrinth's outer walls and she still needed to formulate a plan for what she was going to do when she actually got there. Then Sarah felt a tingling feeling pass over her skin and it felt like she was walking through water.

The brunette sensed that something was gently probing her mind. Whatever the presence found it caused the entity to react with surprise. A feeling of warm, even eager welcome then surrounded her as she stepped through the barrier at the border of the territory that marked her entrance into the Goblin King's land.

The Moon Child took a moment to study the aura of the presence that had brushed against her mind. Timeless and deeply rooted in the life-giving earth. That could mean only one thing: the Labyrinth had contacted her and invited her to roam its corridors once again.

_Looks like the moon isn't the only one with a wayward child that it wishes to retrieve,_ Sarah thought as the Labyrinth gently tugged at her mind, urging her to go faster and be within its walls sooner.

"I never even realized how much I missed this place," Sarah mused, "the moon might have marked me as its own, but my home exists here, within the Labyrinth. This must be the kingdom that is need of my aid, it could be no other. I belong here, simple as that. I wonder what is in store for me?"

* * *

Finally Sarah had reached the Labyrinth's outer wall. The main entrance was no where in sight and Sarah figured that she had to find the gate-keeper to let her in. She had been walking along the wall for ten minutes when she saw a familiar hunched figure pruning the vines that grew up the outer walls.

The dwarf, hearing approaching footsteps turned around to give the intruder a good chewing out. The words died on his lips as he realized just exactly who was approaching him.

"_Sarah_?" Hoggle chocked out.

"Yes, Hoggle, it's really me," Sarah laughed.

Hoggle just gaped at her.

"You certainly look erm…different," he finally spoke up.

"Of course I would! I'm hardly the spoiled fifteen year old I was when we first met," Sarah chided.

"Uh, that wasn't exactly what I meant…" Hoggle trailed off, "you just look… uh,…younger than I expected you to be."

Sarah's bell like laughter drifted across the area.

"What did you expect me to be, an old crone?" Sarah joked, "it hasn't been that long since we last met."

"Sarah, its been over fifteen years since I last saw you," Hoggle informed her, "you should be into your mid-thirties by now. But you hardly look a day over nineteen."

"Well I haven't exactly been Aboveground all this time," Sarah responded, "for me it has only been about seven years by my reckoning."

"If you haven't been Aboveground, where have you been all this time?" Hoggle asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Why to the moon and back!" Sarah laughed gaily.

"You're kidding right?" Hoggle asked with disbelief.

"Maybe, maybe not," Sarah elusively answered, giggling, "that's only for me to know."

Hoggle scratched his head.

"So can you point out the gate to me?" Sarah asked.

"Ummm, sure," Hoggle answered, "its right behind you, has been for several minutes."

"Thanks Hoggle!" Sarah exclaimed as she hugged him suddenly.

A second later, she was walking through the open doors and disappeared into the Labyrinth. The doors closed behind her with a loud boom.

Hoggle scratched his head again.

"There's something different about her," Hoggle muttered as he went back to his pruning, "I just can't put my finger on it."

* * *

"Sire!" a goblin yelled in a squeaky voice as it rushed into the throne room, "I have news from the border station!"

"Well get on with it," Jareth lazily commanded.

"A strange person was sighted about twenty miles outside the border. They ran towards the Labyrinth non-stop for hours and passed through the magical barrier as if it didn't exist," the goblin relayed the report.

"When did this happen?" Jareth asked.

"About five hours ago majesty," the goblin replied.

"And I assume that this person is now within the Labyrinth?" the Goblin King asked.

"We don't know yet, Hoggle the gate-keeper hasn't reported in yet," the goblin answered.

"And you said that this person passed into the kingdom without challenge?" Jareth inquired.

"Yes mi'lord!" the goblin squeaked.

"Strange," Jareth muttered, "there hasn't been a summoning for quite sometime and I would have felt it if another runner had entered the Labyrinth. There certainly is something odd going on."

Jareth summoned a crystal to his hand.

"Show me the intruder," Jareth commanded.

A sliver mist filled the orb, blocking the view of what the crystal would have shown him. Jareth brought the crystal closer to his face. There was something odd and yet familiar about the mist. He just couldn't place it.

_Curiouser and curioser,_ Jareth mused, _at least something different is happening. Things have been really stagnant around here for a while. I look forward to the challenge this mystery poses to me. I really do need a diversion from this inactivity I have been experiencing of late. This should be interesting at least.

* * *

_

Meanwhile Sarah had already found one of the hidden openings in the never-ending corridor and was rapidly making her way towards the center of the Labyrinth. She was only a few hours away from reaching the Goblin City and when she finally got there, a few of the Labyrinth's residents were in for a rude awakening. For it seemed that trouble followed in Sarah's wake.

* * *

Okay, here's the next chappie. Not much to say about this one. Leave me a review and tell me your thoughts.

~Whiteinfinity21


	7. Trouble Brewing

Moon Child

By WhiteInfinity21

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth

* * *

Chapter Seven- Trouble Brewing

Sarah's progress on her second trip through the Labyrinth was going much swifter than the first. Less than two hours after she entered, the Moon Child was already deep into the forest where the Fierys lived. She had yet to suffer any mishaps or setbacks so far on her journey to the center of the Labyrinth. Unfortunately that was about to change.

Off in the distance, Sarah heard sounds of rowdy partying and loud signing. She changed her direction of travel abruptly, wanting to avoid the loose-limbed creatures. Her previous experience with the Fierys had been less than pleasant. She did not want to have a repeat experience.

But, alas, luck was not on her side this day, as the sounds of the merrymaking drew steadily closer. Just as Sarah was about to beat a hasty retreat, the Fierys' game of kick-the-head stumbled across her path. One of the creatures literally stumbled into her, its arms falling off its shoulders as it hit the ground.

Instantly the other Fierys swarmed around their fallen apart comrade, and started helping it reattach it limbs. The process involved many rolling heads and flying appendages. By the time they were done, the fiery that ran into Sarah had a tail attached to its left shoulder, a foot attached to the other one and both arms where the legs should have been. It also had a different head than the one it started off with as well.

It was only after the flurry had settled down somewhat that the Fierys finally noticed the stranger in their midst.

"Hey chica!" one called.

"Come sing with us!" another clamored.

"Yeah, join in the fun," a third chimed in, "the worst that could happen is that you could loose your head!"

All the Fierys laughed at that as a few of them tossed their heads into the air.

"No thank you," Sarah stiffly replied, "I don't have detachable body parts."

"Hey no prob!" the first cajoled, "you don't need to lose your head to have a fun time with the Fierys!"

"Yeah, but we are always ready to lose ours!" a different piped up.

That prompted another bout of laughing and head tossing. Not all of the heads returned to the same body that they had come from.

"No really, I'm fine," Sarah insisted, "I really have to get going."

"Aw, come on chica, loosen up a bit," another one tried.

"No, I really have-" whatever else Sarah was about to say was cut off as the Fierys exploded into action around her.

Heads, limbs and other miscellaneous body parts went everywhere. A stray arm landed on Sarah's shoulder and she shrugged it off as she tried to extract herself from the mess. The next second though, Sarah was knocked to the ground by a head that hit her square in the middle of her back.

_That's it!_ Sarah thought, _time to get rid of these pests._

Another airborne head came flying past her. Sarah snagged it out of the air as it went past her. An idea flashed into her mind. Sarah lobbed the cackling head at the closest Fiery, causing its body parts to go sailing every which way.

"52 limb pick-up!" Sarah yelled as she grabbed a leg and threw it at another Fiery.

"52? Do we even have that many?" a head that was stuck in a nearby tree asked.

"Hey I haven't heard of that one before!" another yelled.

"It goes like this," Sarah yelled as she threw a foot at another Fiery with the same results as the first two, "first you send your body parts all over the place and then you pick them all up and rearrange them in whatever way is easiest."

"Hey that sounds like fun!"

"I bet that I can throw my limbs the farthest!"

"Well I can go even farther!"

The Fierys continued clamoring amongst themselves as they started fighting, body parts flying in all directions. Sarah made her chance to escape while they were distracted. Soon not a single hand, foot, arm, leg, torso, tail or head was connected to anything.

"Hey where did she go?"

"I don't know!"

"She snuck off!"

"And just as the fun was getting started!"

"Hey! Bet that I can pull myself together faster than you other slowpokes!"

"Hey man! What do you think you are doing! That's my foot that you have in your mouth!"

* * *

Sarah let out a sigh of relief as the edge of the forest came into sight. Before her, there was a stairway leading into the Sandstone Heights that Hoggle had dropped the rope down when rescuing her from the Fierys on her first visit to the Labyrinth.

On her first visit to the Labyrinth, Sarah had spent less than five minutes in this part of the Labyrinth before falling down a trap door that almost dropped her into the Bog of Eternal Stench. Sarah really hoped to avoid the Bog this time around, even if her friend Sir Diddymus lived there.

There were parts of the Labyrinth that Sarah hoped not to revisit. The Bog was one, the Oubliettes another.

Sarah ascended the last step of the long, narrow and crumbling staircase and stopped to take a good look around. A whistle escaped her mouth. The Sandstone Heights were stark and rather barren, but they made an impressive sight. The pathways loomed above the rest of the Labyrinth, giving a spectacular view of the Goblin Castle. An unwary traveler could easily fall over the short walls that lined the high pathways, so Sarah took extra care as she walked along.

"Ho there young lady!" an old wheezy voice called.

Sarah whirled around. Her eyes widened. There had been no one behind her just a second ago, but the voice had come from behind her.

"Easy senorita! Don't want a Bonita like you to fall off that cliff!" an annoying voice piped up.

Sarah took in the old, heavily wrinkled man sporting a huge, bulbous nose. She also took in the bird hat that seemed to be attached to his head. The _talking_ bird hat that was attached to his head.

"I know you!" Sarah exclaimed.

"I don't recall meeting a pretty thing like you," the Wise Man grumbled, scratching his nose.

"Aye! Would it hurt you to get a bath once in a while?" the bird-hat piped up.

"Quiet you!" the Wise Man commanded, "now what is such a youngster like you doing all the way up here?"

"I…" Sarah trailed off, not sure how to answer.

"Hmm…" the Wise Man mumbled as he plodded closer to Sarah, "there's something about you that is familiar…"

"Senile as ever!" the bird-hat commented.

"Be silent before I tape you beak shut!" the Wise Man shot.

"Being silent," the bird-hat spoke.

"Good," the Wise Man turned his attention back to Sarah.

A breeze blew past Sarah causing her hair to swirl wildly about her. The Wise Man took in a big sniff.

"Nothing like the fresh air up here," he mumbled, "brings new life to these old legs."

"Umm, I think that I'd better get going," Sarah spoke.

"Don't be in such a rush young lady," the Wise Man grumbled, "youth these days. Always in a hurry, just like that other girl, S…what's her name."

Sarah nerviously started backing away.

"Now I remember," the Wise Man announced, "you smell like cinnamon and honey. That's what you reminded me of. Cinnamon rolls!"

"Uhhhh… that's great!" Sarah replied, "glad that you remembered what I reminded you of."

"Just remember girl, the way forward is sometimes the way back. No wait that's not right," the Wise Man muttered.

"Oh wait! I got it!" he announced, "be on the lookout for wayward children."

"That makes no sense at all," the bird-hat muttered.

"I thought that I told you to be quiet!" the Wise Man yelled at the hat.

The Wise Man and his hat continued to bicker as Sarah mulled over the words that the Wise Man had just told her.

_The way forward is sometimes the way back,_ Sarah mulled, _but I'm already back so that doesn't help much. And I am fulfilling my task by coming back to the Labyrinth. But, be on the lookout for wayward children? That is too much like the words of Oracle's foretelling to be dismissed lightly. Even if the guy is a senile old coot wearing a talking bird-hat._

"Thank you for your words of wisdom Elder," Sarah spoke, dipping into a shallow bow, "I will consider them with much care. May the Moon guide your footsteps."

And with that, Sarah walked off.

"She's just as looney as you are," the bird-hat muttered.

"That's it I'm getting out the tape!" the Wise Man exclaimed as he rummaged around in his robe.

Snores erupted from his nose halfway though his search.

"Ah it is so… interesting being your hat," the bird-hat murmured, "strange girl though. I know that I have seen her from somewhere…"

* * *

"Okay, that was odd," Sarah mused as hurried away from the snoring Wise Man, "I wonder what's next? Goblin guards in clunky, oversized helmets, biting fairies?"

_An alluring Goblin King in form-fitting pants that leaves nothing to the imagination?_ a part of her mind piped up.

Sarah ignored the voice. Jareth could wait until later. She had other concerns, like the squadron of goblin soldiers that was charging her way. Their clanking, ill-fitting armor actually hindered them more than it protected the goblins. In fact at that precise moment, one of the goblins in the middle tripped over his own spear and sent three other goblins crashing to the ground.

Yells and cursing filled the pathway as the three that had been knocked over started berating the one that had tripped. Of course, the goblin that had tripped had to respond with equal epithets and before she knew it, all of the goblins were engaged in an all out brawl.

Sarah snickered as she walked down another path. Seems like things haven't changed all that much form her last visit. She wondered what denizen of the Labyrinth she would see next.

She didn't have to wait long, for Sarah literally tripped over the small creature.

"Oww," Sarah muttered as she rubbed her forehead.

The sound of high pitched, angry yelling reached her ears. Sarah turned around. She thought she had stumbled over a creature, she was right in a sense, but she had tripped over its house rather than the creature itself. A tiny little man in dirty, grubby clothing met her stare and raised his hand in a rude gesture before scrambling back into his home, pulling the tile that Sarah had dislodged back over him as he went in.

Sarah was less than thrilled. In fact, she was getting rather irate. First it was the Fierys, then the Wise Man and his bird-hat and now a brownie that lived under the walkways. Sarah was just glad that she had not come across any fairies while she still was on the outside of the Labyrinth.

A wind brushed past Sarah, bringing a hint of the evening chill with it. Sarah looked behind her, the sun would be setting in an hour and she needed to find some shelter. A big yawn escaped her mouth, Sarah was unused to staying up this late. Ever since she joined the Moon Clan, Sarah abandoned the normal human sleep schedule. Instead, she normally rose with the moon each night or afternoon, and went to sleep a few hours after it set, usually before mid-morning.

The moon had set over eight hours ago and Sarah had been too preoccupied with getting to the Labyrinth and then heading inwards towards its center to be aware of her body's need for sleep. Sarah let out another yawn. She needed to find a place to sleep and she needed to find it soon!

That was unless she wanted to fall asleep on her feet up here.

Another chilly breeze swept past her.

"Nope," Sarah decided, "I definitely don't want to sleep up here."

And with that decision made, Sarah hurried down a nearby staircase that would take her down from the Sandstone Heights.

* * *

"My liege!" a goblin yelled as it raced into the room.

It tripped over a stray chicken and fell into the pit in the center of the throne room. Jareth sighed.

"What is it Netwart?" Jareth asked, rubbing his temples.

"I have news from the Wise Man!" Netwart piped.

"Lovely," Jareth muttered, "that makes this message the third one that I have received today."

Netwart just started at Jareth, before reaching down to scratch his butt.

"Well, out with it. I'm assuming that it is about the intruder," Jareth barked, losing patience.

"Out with what? I have been feeling rather gassy today if that is what you mean," Netwart mentioned.

"The message from the Wise Man you dolt!" Jareth yelled.

"Oh that," Netwart remembered, "you sure that you don't want me to let out my gas?"

"NO!" Jareth roared.

"Don't need to burst a blood vessel," Netwart muttered.

"I'm waiting," Jareth ominously drawled.

"Oh right," the goblin recalled, "the Wise Man told me to tell his esteemed majesty the Goblin King, over ruler of the Labyrinth and-"

"I don't need to be reminded of my title," Jareth cut the goblin off, "just skip all the frippery and get to the message."

"His majesty sure is in a foul mood today," Netwart muttered, receiving a glare from the Goblin King.

"Well the Wise Man told me to tell the Goblin King not to lose hope," Netwart continued, "and to be on the lookout for the one with moon fire dancing in her eyes."

'Well that was as unhelpful as ever," Jareth grumbled, "all that comes out of that old coot's mouth is utter gibberish and nonsensical platitudes. Moon fire indeed, what rubbish."

Netwart, having delivered his message, decided that this was the appropriate time to let out a noisy fart. Jareth slapped a hand over his nose and threw a crystal at Netwart that dropped him into the middle of the laundry room. Right into a vat of warm soapy water in fact.

Netwart's unhappy screams echoed all across the castle as the laundry ladies there immediately took to scrubbing the goblin instead of the clothing. They had orders to wash whatever dropped into their laundry kettles, not matter what it was.

Jareth summoned another crystal to his hand.

"Show me the female intruder that is in the Labyrinth," he told it.

The same silver mist filled the crystal obscuring Jareth's sight of the person filled the orb. With a snarl, Jareth hurled the crystal at the opposite wall, where it shattered on impact, joining the previous four crystals that had showed him the same silver mist.

He collapsed back onto his throne with a weary sigh. It had been a long and tiring day. Last night, the energy that had been building up for weeks mysteriously disappeared. Last night the presence that had been trying to get into his dreams finally broke through the Labyrinth's magical barriers for a few seconds. This morning he had received news of a figure running towards and then entering the Labyrinth.

The messenger he sent to contact Hoggle who was spraying fairies near the main gate, returned with no news from the cowardly dwarf. But the goblin did bear a message from Hoggle saying that "the royal rat can stick his commands where the sun don't shine". Jareth had yelled at the messenger and sent the giggling goblin sailing out the window with a well placed kick.

Jareth had settled back in his throne with a huff when the second the second goblin messenger came barreling into the room, yelling that the intruder had run into the Fireys and had caused quite a commotion in the part of the forest that they typically haunted. Jareth threatened the goblin with a one-way trip to the Bog that sent it scuttling from the throne room before he made another crystal, commanding it to show him the intruder.

When it showed him nothing but silver mist, he threw it at the wall, making it the second crystal to suffer that fate. Jareth had sat on his throne for the next few hours, brooding. Twice more he conjured up a crystal, but all they ever showed when asked to display the intruder was the same infernal silver mist.

Jareth had ordered a squadron of the goblin guard to go out into the Labyrinth to locate and detain the intruder, after which they were supposed to bring the person to the castle. Obviously they had failed in their endeavor if the latest message was any proof. The goblin guard really was incompetent, but he had nothing better at his disposal when it came to such things.

Jareth conjured up yet another crystal and commanded it to show him the squadron that he had sent after the female intruder. The image that was displayed in the crystal did not surprise Jareth in the slightest. It appeared that some trivial accident had happened (as they often do around goblins in amour or bearing weapons) which had prompted an all out brawl between all the members of the squadron.

_I can never really catch a break can I?_ Jareth thought.

The Goblin King glanced over to a western facing window. The sun had sunk far into the western sky and would set soon. In a few more hours he would retire for the night and he was sure that the presence would try once again to get into his sleeping mind.

The events of the last few weeks weighed heavily on Jareth's mind. First that damn minstrel had come into the Goblin City and had made the song, "The Girl and the Goblin King", an instant hit. It had spread throughout the Labyrinth like wildfire and only a week after the minstrel's removal from his kingdom the energy had started gathering. The following weeks had severely tested the Goblin King's patience (as well as his sanity) and the presence had been trying to get into his dreams for months before hand as well.

The events during the last twenty hours had been the icing on the cake and Jareth was more than ready to escape the responsibilities that came with being the Goblin King. The years since Sarah's first and only visit to the Labyrinth had slowly wore away at his spirit and lately all that he wanted to do was to abandon his crown and go live the life of a hermit, far, far away from any goblin.

The message from the Wise Man that Netwart had delivered came back to him.

_ "The Wise Man told me to tell the Goblin King not to lose hope and to be on the lookout for the one with moon fire dancing in her eyes."_

"Don't lose hope?" Jareth muttered, "what does that old fool know anyway. Humph, 'the one with moon fire in her eyes' indeed."

* * *

In Sarah's dream

_"Toby that's the fifth time this week!" Karen yelled, "I want you to go to your room right now young man!"_

_ "But Mom, I was only-" Toby pleaded._

_ "No buts, get to your room this instant," Karen commanded._

_ "You don't understand," the eight year old yelled, "you're always so mean to me. Why can't you be like Jake's mom, she's a whole lot nicer than you ever are. All you do is nag, nag, nag. I swear that you are a goblin in disguise!"_

_ "Tobias Henry Williams! How dare you speak to me like that!" Karen yelled._

_ She strode over and grabbed Toby by the ear as she dragged him up stairs to his room immune to his pained yelps. _

_ "Now stay in your room and do your homework until dinner," Karen commanded as she shut the door, "if I hear one sound from this room, I'm taking away all electronic privileges for a week."_

_ Toby dropped down onto his bed with a whumph. The golden haired boy looked at the picture of Sarah and him as a baby that hung on the wall above his bed. _

_ "No wonder you ran away sis," Toby spoke to the picture, "living with my mother would drive any sane person to escape. If I was in your shoes, I would have done the same. Neither Mom nor Dad understands either of us. They refuse to look beyond their own restricted existences"_

_Toby flopped over onto his back._

"_They just don't believe that there is more than the eyes can detect," Toby continued, "I know that magic is real. I just know it. What else can explain how I always feel forces around me that others don't? How else can I explain the impossible things I see in my dreams? Why can't they understand that?"_

"_You know what else Sarah?" Toby asked, "they just keep getting worse. After you ran away, they were determined to stamp all the fantasy and magic out of their existence. Do you know that they threw away all your things after you left?"_

_Now Toby turned onto his side and opened the drawer of his nightstand. He drew out a well worn book covered with almost worn away red velvet on the cover. The book's title "The Labyrinth" was embossed onto the cover in gold lettering. _

"_I wish that I knew where you went Sarah," Toby murmured as he stroked the cover of the book, "that way I would know where to find you. I wish that I could be with you big sis. You're the only one who ever understood me. I miss you."_

_He looked at the red-bound book again._

"_I wish that the goblins would come and take me away," Toby whispered, "right now."_

_Nothing happened._

"_Just like it always does," Toby bitterly muttered, "why doesn't it work? No matter how many times I try, it just doesn't work. It worked when Sarah called on the goblins, why won't it work for me?"_

"_It's not fair!" he cried as he threw the book at the door, "why am I stuck here? I want to escape like Sarah did. I know that she is no longer on Earth, so why am I trapped here? I wish that I was any place but here!"_

"_**Be careful what you wish for little boy**__," an airy voice chuckled, "__**it might just come true**__."_

"_Who are you?" Toby whispered._

"_**You can call me Selene little one**__," the voice told him, "__**but more importantly I am here to tell you that if you truly wish to leave this existence behind, you should call on the goblins during the next full moon when the moon is at its zenith**__."_

"_Why are you telling me this?" Toby asked awed._

"_**Because by getting you Underground will let me get something that I have been waiting for for a long time**__," Selene informed Toby, "__**my errant child has been hiding from my presence for long enough. I need your help to make him more willing to come to me. I don't believe that the one who I sent to retrieve him will be enough to lure him out of his hole.**__"_

"_Why should I help you?" Toby demanded suspicious, "you sound like you want to do bad things to this child."_

_Airy laughter filled the room._

"_**Your sister was much more open minded than you are youngling**__," the voice chided, "__**perhaps that is why the goblins haven't heard your call yet**__."_

"_What do you know? How do you know Sarah?" Toby demanded._

"_**I know that I am looking at a spoiled little boy who needs to look past the image to see the true nature of things. Your sister followed her dreams which in turn lead her to me**__," Selene spoke, "__**not everything is what it is seems Tobias. Call on the goblins during the full moon. You shall not be disappointed.**__"

* * *

_

Sarah came right out of her dream into full awareness. Why was Selene, contacting Toby? Slowly the pieces of the Oracle's foretelling and the Wise Man's words were falling into place.

_The way forward is sometimes the way back._

Selene had brought her up to the moon and then Sarah fell down into the Underground.

_ You shall collect a child that a kingdom desperately needs … the moon shall claim its wayward child in the end. _

Toby was obviously discontent with his life Aboveground. He wanted to escape. Selene needed his help to retrieve her wayward child. The moon goddess didn't think that Sarah would be able to complete her task alone. Toby was probably the child that she would retrieve that the Labyrinth desperately needed. Sarah had a few answers, but even more questions still existed.

Who was the Moon Child that Sarah was supposed to retrieve? How would she bring happiness to many and receive it in return? Who would she bring hope to? Who was the one close to her heart that would help retrieve Toby?

Sarah had no answers to those questions but had the feeling that she would find out soon enough. On the next full moon in fact if her intuition was right.

* * *

Sarah wasn't the only to dream that night. Jareth tossed and turned in his sleep as a fuzzy silver orb kept flashing in and out of his dreams all night. The presence had already broken through the Labyrinth's magic barrier and was having less difficulty doing so again. Things were heating up and trouble was brewing. It was only a matter of time till everything came to a head.

* * *

Okay, another chapter finished. I had a lot more fun writing this one compared to chapter 6. Hope that my readers found this chapter more enjoyable to read than the last one as well. Tell you me your thoughts, comments, criticisms, ect. Any flames however will be used as party favors for the Fierys.

Please leave a review before you go.


	8. Discovery

Moon Child

By Whiteinfinity21

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth.

Chapter 8- Discovery

* * *

For almost two weeks Jareth heard neither hide nor hair about the female intruder. It was like she vanished into thin air. Now normally this might have worried the Goblin King, but this female really didn't seem to have any ill intentions towards any of the citizens of his kingdom. Other else than causing a ruckus in the castle at her unexpected entrance into the Labyrinth and her encounter with the Fierys she had not caused any real trouble as of yet.

Still, it never hurt to be cautious and everyday he received updates on the intruder's whereabouts from the searchers that he had sent out. So far they had found no information on the uninvited guest's location.

Strangely enough, after the first night after the intruder had taken up residence in the Labyrinth, the attempts at trying to contact Jareth in his dreams vanished. Jareth should have been dismayed or worried at that fact, but all he could feel was confusion.

For months the presence had been trying to break into his dreams and it had finally succeeded two weeks ago, on the night of the last full moon. After it had flashed a brief image into his dream, the presence had seemed satisfied for that night, only contacting him once more the following night. Then the images of the shinning silver orb that had flashed into his dreams for two nights straight had vanished.

Along with the disappearance of the presence that had been trying to get into the Goblin King's dreams, the uproar from the aftermath from the building energy that preceded the intruder's appearance had died down as well. Life in the Goblin City had not been this uneventful since before that dammed bard had come into the Goblin Castle and had found Sarah's legend which he later turned into that awful piece of doggerel that Jareth absolutely detested.

Jareth for his part was extremely grateful for this lull in excitement and had been using this period of peace to his advantage. First he had fully caught up on his sleep and for the first time in almost half a year, he felt full rested every morning he got up. Second, Jareth had started taking long strolls throughout different parts of the Labyrinth every afternoon, a pleasure that he had not had the time to do so for many, many moons.

The Goblin King actually enjoyed strolling through his kingdom, personally making sure that everything was running smoothly. He had been very pleased to find that for the most part everything was getting along just fine, not needing his attention. There had been an incident with one of the junk ladies in the garbage heap on the outskirts of the Goblin City, but Jareth preferred to not think about it.

Jareth glanced over at the clock that hung in the throne room. Perfect, in just a few more minutes, court would close for the day and Jareth cloud escape his duties as Goblin King, barring another child being wished away or some emergency, for the rest of the afternoon till it was time for dinner in the great hall. He was hosting some foreign guests in his castle who were in search of some mythical artifact, the Sword of Wind or something like that, who wanted to look through his library and a few parts of his kingdom if permissible for information pertaining to the object that they were searching for.

It was his duty to entertain his guests this evening as they supped, and Jareth was unsure of whether he was looking forward to it or dreading the evening meal. The band of adventurers were an odd lot, not only did they have a dwarf that acted positively un-dwarfish (having an extreme dislike for gold and all things involving metal work as well as an odd fascination with birds), but they also had the oddest pair of goblins that Jareth had ever seen, and they were lead by a chobla of all things.

Choblas were a relatively new race that had come to the Underground from another world just about a century ago and the race of happy-go-lucky child-like beings had an odd affinity for discarded things. They were also notorious trouble makers but the one staying at the Goblin Castle so far had yet to cause any mischief.

The fifth member of the party was something else entirely. It was the only female in the group and was a mind boggling mix between a harpy and a siren. When she started ranting and spewing curse words left and right she attracted males from miles around like ants to honey. It was also rumored that she also part succubus since she had already gone through five different males, all from different races, in the time she had been here.

Needless to say that Jareth avoided her like the plague. She might be part siren and even possibly part succubus, but she definitely was part harpy and they were known to occasionally eat the males they came across. Not a pleasant distraction for an evening in Jareth's opinion. He had no intentions of being her next victim/meal. It was because of her that Jareth was in part dreading dinning with the group of adventurers this evening.

The odd pair of goblin twins and the dwarf however were really amusing creatures and even the chobla had turned out to be a decent conversationalist. The tolling of the clock in the throne room broke into Jareth's thoughts and with a wave he dismissed the rest of the day's petitioners who would have to come back tomorrow if they wanted to speak with the Goblin King.

_At last_, Jareth thought as he got up from his throne and stretched, _finally I can get out of this stuffy castle. _

With one last glance around the throne room Jareth tossed a crystal up I the air and vanished in a shower of glitter. A goblin poked its head inside the now empty throne room and scuttled out only to return a few moments later with a small broom and dustpan to sweep up the dust.

"Soon I will have enough to finish the statue of the golden chicken," the goblin giggled as it scampered out of the throne room, the bag of glitter dust clutched to its chest.

* * *

Sarah dodged down a side passage, barely avoiding the carousing band of drunk goblins that were stumbling along one of the corridors in the hedge maze. Normally Sarah thought the goblins as being rather harmless, if disgusting at times, but when they got in a group and there was alcohol present, accidents tended to happen.

Just the other day, Sarah had stumbled across a similar group of drunken goblins and had followed them out of sheer curiosity. That turned out to be a mistake since they had left a trail of overturned statues, garbage, chicken feathers and nameless muck in their wake. After she had almost fallen face first into a pile of the garbage, muck and feathers that they goblins had generated after they had briefly stopped at one point, Sarah had decided that following them was one of the least smart things that she had ever done.

Unfortunately she had trudged for quite a while in the muck and trash as she had followed them. Consequently she had spent four hours scrubbing her shoes in a stream before giving up in disgust and leaving for them to soak while she slept during the time the moon was down.

This current band of drunken goblins had somehow managed to catch a chicken and were holding the squawking bird above their heads as they chanted something that sounded like "all hail the golden chicken!". It was hard to tell since the alcohol they had consumed slurred their words almost to the point of unintelligibility.

Sarah shrugged and continued down the path she had ducked into. One passage was as good as another since Sarah really had no idea what she was looking for. She had taken this opportunity to fully explore the Labyrinth, a thing she had been itching to do ever since she had left in the first place. Sarah was having a blast exploring the different places in the Labyrinth and had come across some really curious and amusing creatures in her wanderings.

On her third day in the Underground, Sarah had wandered into the Goblin City and immediately had been assaulted by an array of noises, smells and colors. Turned out it had been market day and it seemed that everyone was out catching up on the latest gossip and causing as much noise as they could. The vendors were trying their best to cheat their customers out of their money while the shoppers eagerly engaged in bartering arguments that involved lots of shouting and colorful phrases.

The odd thing was that no one even seemed to notice Sarah's presence, treating her as just another one of their fellow market goers. She had spotted over two dozen different entertainers and had gotten the chance to hear a rendition of the song, "The Girl and the Goblin King," that she had heard so much about. In some places she had laughed, especially the parts that they had gotten things wrong and winced other times when she heard particularly bad lines.

Sarah had stayed in the buzzing market practically the entire day, sleep totally forgotten as one interesting item after another caught her eye. There were so many tempting things that she just wanted to buy, like that cute little crescent moon charm or one of those steaming meat pies but she had no money whatsoever which she purchase anything with. Another problem with purchasing any items from the market was that she had no place to store anything she bought.

It was only when the shadows were growing long that Sarah had finally managed to tear herself away from the goblin market, and the moment she had left the marketplace, her exhaustion had hit her hard. The moon had set only an hour after the sun had rose and she should have been asleep for most of the day. Being what she was, Sarah normally was awake when the moon was up and was asleep when the moon was absent from the sky.

But there were times when Sarah ignored her body's demands for sleep in favor of exploring the Labyrinth during the daylight hours when the moon was absent from the sky. If she had actually stuck to the sleep schedule that a Moon Child normally followed, most of the time she would be awake during the night and only for a few hours during the day either in the early morning or late afternoon.

Now of course Sarah, being the headstrong, independent, and stubborn creature that she was, she ignored the moon's presence or absence in the sky and followed her own sleep schedule at least one out of every three days. She couldn't always force herself to stay awake during the time the moon was sleeping, but she was bound and determined to do it as much as she could get away with it without her body collapsing out of sheer exhaustion.

The sound of booted footsteps echoing off the walls somewhere close by broke Sarah out of her reverie. Most of the creatures in the Labyrinth either walked around barefoot, like many of the goblins did, or had simple everyday work shoes that were little more than a bag of canvas sewn to a hard leather sole. There were not many people that Sarah knew of that actually had the wealth to afford to walk around in boots.

Boots took a long time to make and required expensive, high quality materials to make them with. Many of the commoners considered such footwear to be a frivolous waste of good money since the shoes that they normally wore served just as well as boots for most things. The number of people in the Labyrinth that wore boots probably was less than a hundred. Wealthy or not, the nearby footsteps peaked Sarah's curiosity and she soundlessly padded closer to the person who was making the noise.

Some instinct made Sarah stop just a second before she would have rounded the last corner, allowing her to see who was so close by to her. She pressed her back to the wall and held her breath for several seconds as the footsteps passed her by and started to fade as the person strode away from her.

Sarah took a risk and poked her head around the corner. She caught the glint of the late afternoon sun reflecting off the wild, gravity defying golden head of hair just as it disappeared around a corner. A slight breeze wafted past, bringing the scent of the person who had just passed by. Spice, a slightly sweet smell that reminded Sarah of freshly fallen rain and something that she almost recognized, the name on the tip of her tongue.

_Where have I experienced that mixture of smells before?_ Sarah asked herself, thinking hard, _it surely didn't come from any creature in the Lunar Lands and I have a hard time picturing that combination in the Aboveground, so where have I smelled that mixture before?_

"Spice, the smell of freshly fallen rain and…" Sarah pondered, "oh if only I could recall that last one!"

_Hmmm,_ Sarah thought, _that last smell was like…like… _

"Moonlight!" Sarah exclaimed, "that last smell was moonlight. What a ditz I am not to immediately recognize that scent! I have lived with that smell for the last four years when I was traveling the Lunar Lands with the Moon Clan. I remember that all of the other Moon Children smelled slightly of moonlight, just like I probably do as well."

_Wait a minute…_ Sarah realized, _no one else but a Moon Child smells of moonlight. That person could be the wayward Moon Child that I've been looking for!_

Sarah didn't hesitate a second longer, she jumped up and sprinted after the receding footsteps. The sun was just finishing sinking in the sky when she finally caught up with the person. She skidded to a halt about thirty feet behind the man and quickly hid behind a corner just as the figure turned around. It would hardly do to reveal her presence to this person before the right time.

The light of the sinking sun cast it ruddy glow onto the man's face, softening his angular features. The reds, oranges and pinks of the sunset provided a stunning background to the magnificent figure that stood there, looking around for the source of the noise that he had just heard. Sarah felt her heart stop. It was simply impossible, but in a way, it all made sense. Who else could it possibly be?

Sarah had to stifle the urge to laugh at the irony of it all. The wayward child of the moon that she had been sent back to the Underground to find was none other than Jareth, the Goblin King himself!

* * *

Jareth, deciding that the person in hiding was not about to reveal themselves shrugged and was about to transport himself back to the castle to get ready to greet his dinner guests when a sharp wind blew into his face. He could immediately identify all the normal smells of this part of the Labyrinth, sap from the hedges, the fresh scent of new plant growth, dust stirred up by the wind's passing, and the musty smell of decaying leaves.

What caught his attention was the unfamiliar mix of scents of the person hiding from close by. He inhaled deeply, trying to identify the different components of the stranger's unique smell. He could smell lilacs, rosemary, and something that he had never even heard of before. It was light and airy and had a touch of mist on a cool spring night. Definitely a female's scent judging by the combination, but such a mixture he had never smelled from a female before.

A thought occurred to Jareth. This female hiding in the shadows could very possibly be the intruder that caused all the fuss two weeks ago.

The last of the sun's rays faded from the sky. Jareth looked up and saw just the barest sliver of the moon in the sky. Tomorrow night would be the night of the dead moon, and Jareth had the odd notion that tomorrow the odd peace that had settled over the Labyrinth would soon vanish with the coming of the new moon in two days.

Best he get back to his castle now and enjoy the last of this fleeting lull in activity. Besides, he had guests that would be arriving in the dinning hall in about thirty minutes and he had to return to get ready and to greet them. The mysterious female hiding in the shadows could wait. Now that he had her scent, finding her should be much easier the next time he came looking for her.

With a sigh, he tossed a crystal up in the air and disappeared in a shower of golden glitter.

* * *

Hope that my readers liked this chappie as much as the last one.

Please leave a review on your way out.


	9. Trouble Growing

Moon Child

By Whiteinfinity21

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth

* * *

Chapter 9- Trouble Growing

The moment Jareth had reappeared in his personal quarters he was bombarded by servants asking him all manner of things. Like where he had been, the guests were already in the hall. Or do you think that the recent batch of raspberry-peach dessert wine was any good? Where does this vase go? When will the Golden Chicken come? What room is the harpy-siren staying in? And so on.

Jareth sent the rabid mob of servants on a one-way trip to the coldest lake in the kingdom with a well-aimed crystal, took one look at his slightly disheveled clothing and used another to change his outfit (with the prerequisite skin tight pants). He could already hear the female hybrid screeching about the lack of food and the king's absence, so with a sigh he used a third crystal to transport himself down to the dinning hall.

The moment he appeared, the female stopped screeching and the crowd of drooling males that had surrounded her blinked a few times before scurrying off to get back to their duties. She was stunningly beautiful, but Jareth learned long ago that beauty was only skin deep. The hybrid, Helexa he dimly recalled, looked him once over and snorted.

"Sorry your majesty," she cooed, "I like my males to have a more manly appearance than you do."

Jareth inwardly growled, how dare this female flippantly reject him before he was even able to tell her to get lost? He was the one that was supposed to peel her off of him, not be the one that was shot down. He was the king after all, that was worth something, wasn't it?

Although when he saw her making baby eyes at one of the stupidest, hairiest and biggest goblin guards (who was actually half-goblin, half-ogre) that was in his employ, he felt his pride recover somewhat. That female must be daft to go after that brute. Either that or have no sense of personal hygiene.

_Though she is part harpy after all_, Jareth mused, _harpies aren't known to be the cleanest of creatures._

Apparently this female liked her males big, strong, hairy and dumb as a rock. As long as she didn't come after him, he would do his best to ignore her. Even as the guests seated themselves, Jareth caught Helexa giving a lusty wink to the dwarf who puffed his chest up.

_Check that,_ Jareth thought, _she probably just likes them strong and hairy, size apparently doesn't matter to her. _

Dinner proceeded along smoothly after that as Jareth made small talk with his guests. That was until the topic of the places that the citizens of the Labyrinth tended to avoid came up.

"So tell me about this bog of yours that I've heard so much about," the dwarf asked as he threw his fifth napkin to the ground, turned absolutely disgusting by all the grease and other substances that the dwarf had somehow managed to slop all over his face and beard.

Jareth had to hide a smirk as the chobla, the leader of the group, had to physically restrain himself from diving after the discarded napkin.

"It's the Bog of Eternal Stench, I think that the name describes it pretty well," Jareth evenly replied, "although it makes a good threat to use against some of the more rowdy goblins. Even to those smelly creatures, the stench of the Bog is intolerable."

"That certainly sounds like a good place to look for the sword of wind," one of the goblin twins piped up.

Not all goblins in the Underground lived in Jareth's kingdom. Though the Labyrinth boasted the largest population of the little buggers in the entire Underground (though that really wasn't something to be proud about in Jareth's opinion), there were several other smaller populations of goblins scattered across the different kingdoms in the Underground.

It was because of the rather childish creatures that the position formerly called the Lord of the Labyrinth had changed over the years to the Goblin King. Hardly anyone nowadays remembered that Jareth's great-grandfather had once been called the Lord of the Labyrinth rather than the Goblin King.

"Just why do you think that this 'sword of wind' you are looking for would be located in the bog?" Jareth queried.

"The sword was actually discarded by the mighty hero that once wielded it when he came across the lance of light," the chobla eagerly explained, "thought that the lance sounded like a much cooler weapon. But he soon learned his mistake when he learned that the lance emitted a blinding light when used. It caused him to stumble into a female dragon's den who was sitting on her eggs. What a daft bugger!"

"Indeed," Jareth drawled uninterested.

"So do we have your permission to go search through the Bog?" the other goblin twin asked.

"You hardly need my permission," Jareth snorted, "anyone in their right mind does their best to avoid it at all costs (except for that daft old Sir Diddymus who has no sense of smell whatever). Be my guest and have a blast there (pun intended)."

"Oh good," the chobla cheered, almost wetting himself out of excitement.

Jareth rolled his eyes, _reminds me of one of those annoying little dogs that yap all the time and pee on the carpet whenever frightened. I can't wait to get these idiots out of my castle. _

_The female hybrid especially,_ Jareth decided as he saw her making baby eyes at the half-goblin, half-ogre guard again.

* * *

"Good evening Ludo," Sarah greeted waking up right as the moon started to rise.

"Sawah, sweep well?" the loveable furry beast asked.

"Yes, I slept very well indeed," Sarah affirmed, getting up.

Sarah looked at what Ludo had gathered for dinner (or breakfast in Sarah's case), while she had slept. As she munched on the crispy, starchy roots, sweet berries and a soft mushroom, Sarah thought about the events that had led her to staying with Ludo for the past week.

She had stumbled out of one of the side gate at the edge of the Goblin City that opened up to the Mushroom Forest from her second foray into the market place. Sarah, in her sleep-deprived haze had come across a pile of branches, leaves and moss and had not even considered the thought that this could have been some creature's nest. Instead of looking for someplace else, she had allowed herself to fall right into the middle of the pile of vegetation and had been asleep within seconds.

Sarah had woken up to something big crunching its way through the bushes and approaching her sleeping place. Cautious, the Moon Child had climbed out of the nest and was about make good her escape when unfortunately her foot slipped on some of the moss and she went tumbling back into the giant nest.

The creature, obviously the one who built the nest, growled and had come lumbering towards her ready to defend its territory. As the beast crossed the clearing, a stray beam of moonlight managed to pierce the forest canopy and illuminate familiar rust orange and red fur flashed in the moon's glow.

"Ludo!" Sarah had cried as the beast came to a clumsy stop.

"Who there?" Ludo had suspiciously demanded.

"Don't you remember me Ludo?" Sarah had laughed.

"Sawah?" Ludo tentatively asked.

"Yes Ludo, it me and this time I'm in the Underground to stay," she had announced.

"Sawah!" the beast had happily cried as he ran to engulf her in a furry hug.

"Yes, its good to see you again friend Ludo," Sarah had laughed, "I guess that this was your bed that I had decided to take a nap in!"

"Sawah," the beast had happily rumbled, before pulling back to get a better look at her.

"Sawah have moon," Ludo had said, tracing a large finger across her forehead.

"Yes, I have a moon mark," Sarah had confirmed, "how did you know Ludo?"

"Ludo see moon glow from Sawah, Sawah glow like moon," he had rumbled.

"Sawah stay?" he had asked when Sarah had gotten up to go on her nightly wanderings.

"Yes, I'll be back at dawn," Sarah had answered.

Not only had Sarah come back at dawn that night, but she had continued to return to Ludo's home everyday after the moon had set to sleep, much to the beast's delight.

"Hey Ludo don't worry if I sleep for the entire night and the next day tomorrow," Sarah told him as she finished her meal, "tomorrow is the night of the dead moon and I will be asleep from the time the moon sets tonight until the new moon rises in on the night after tomorrow."

"Ludo guard Sawah while sweep," he affirmed.

"Oh Ludo, you are such a good friend!" Sarah cried as she threw her arms around his neck.

"Ludo and Sawah friends," he agreed.

* * *

Nothing had happened on the night of the dead moon and seemingly nothing had occurred on the next one, the night of the new moon. Or so Jareth had thought until the first of the odd reports came in the on second day into the current moon cycle.

"But your majesty," the pixie pleaded.

"There is nothing that I can do about it," Jareth stated.

"But how can you explain the statue that has been in my garden for generations suddenly being turned on its head," the pixie whined, "that thing weighs almost a ton, not even the strongest creature in the Labyrinth could have moved it."

"The statue's new position isn't disrupting your daily schedule is it?" Jareth asked.

The pixie nodded.

"Then I fail to see the problem here," Jareth replied, ""why don't you give it a new coat of paint or something? Now get out of my sight, you've pestered me long enough."

"Yes sire," the pixie mumbled and scurried out of the throne room.

"Next," Jareth grumpily called.

And so the rest of the day's supplicants for the king came and pleaded their cases to him and Jareth either gave them a verdict in a bored voice or sent them to someone else who could solve their problem.

When the clock finally tolled four o'clock, announcing the end of the court session, Jareth had gratefully escaped the confines of the castle. He was eager to look for that female he had come across two days ago. He hadn't found any trace of her so far, but he was sure that he would find her eventually if he kept on looking.

Jareth was almost positive that the female that had spied on him from the shadows was the intruder. When he had used a crystal to scry for her, a grayish-silver haze had obstructed his view of her, very similar to what happened when he tried to look for the intruder as well. For some reason Jareth had made finding this uninvited guest a personal project of his, he was very interested in meeting this female face to face.

But his wanderings that afternoon did not bear any fruit and he transported himself back to the castle sulking.

The good news was that the annoying group of adventurers had finally departed from the castle two days ago and were currently wandering through the Labyrinth looking for the Bog of Eternal Stench. Most of the servants were relieved to see them go, but a small minority of the males in the castle mourned the departure of Helexa (Jareth not included, he had had his fill of the harpy-siren hybrid).

The bad news, at least in Jareth's opinion was that the presence that had been breaching the Labyrinth's magical barrier to get into his dreams was back. Last night, on the night of the new moon Jareth had seen that fuzzy glowing orb flash into his dreams once again. Needless to say that after enjoying a two week break without any intrusion into his dreams, Jareth was less than pleased to have it start again.

Jareth was starting to suspect that the presence was somehow connected to the lunar cycle in some way since it first contacted him during the last full moon and the night afterwards. Then it had disappeared for almost two weeks in the time that the moon was waning and the moment the new moon appeared in the sky, the presence was back.

Add to that to all the sudden references to the moon that seemed to be popping up lately, and Jareth suspected that something was going on. That suspicion was confirmed during the next few days as more complaints about unexplainable occurrences kept on coming in.

First it had been the pixie with its statue. The next day it had been one of the maid's hair turning pink, and no matter how much she washed it or how many different magical potions she used, it remained that color. Of course when one of the other maids had discovered the funny hair change, she immediately wanted to copy it and had begged the almost hysterical maid what her secret was. Now there was a small fad growing among his female household staff for having odd colored hair, something that Jareth just couldn't wrap his mind around.

The third day had brought two complaints, the first one being a goblin that had woken up in a mass of string that stuck to everything that it touched. The second came from a different goblin that had found that he was suddenly unable to tell potty jokes no matter how hard he tried. The first one he had found slight amusing but the second Jareth wished that he could replicate himself on a few choice individuals.

In the next week more and more complaints kept on pouring in, ranging from the odd to the ridiculously funny. None of these pranks seemed to really harm any of the creatures involved, but caused plenty of confusion and annoyance on the recipient's part.

Jareth could tell that some unrest was starting to develop among his subjects due to these strange events that had happened overnight after the moon had risen. What he didn't know was that he was soon to be the recipient of one of these jokes himself.

* * *

_A few days earlier_

Sarah had gotten up just as the moon had risen, stretching luxuriously from her sleeping position in Ludo's nest that she had been sleeping in for the past ten days. Her furry friend had was insistent that she spend the moon down hours with him and Sarah was glad for the offer of a comfy bed every day, but she was starting to feel guilty about not doing anything for her friend in return.

So it had come to a complete surprise to Sarah when she found herself wandering into the heart of the forest and found a perfectly round moonstone that positively glowed in the little amount of moonlight that was able to filter though the tree canopy. Straight away she knew that this moonstone was different from others and that Selene had probably meant for her to find it.

Sarah had pocked it before heading back out of the forest to make some more moon induced mischief in the Goblin City. This night's target was a particularly nasty piece of work that kept on charging prices for his wares that were five times its actual worth. She had found this particularly foul smelling liquid in her wanderings last night and intended to douse him with it while she traveled through the moonbeams tonight.

Traveling through the moonbeams was something she had just discovered four nights ago when she was thinking about a rather lovely garden she had spotted a few days ago when she was in the Goblin City and had walked through a stray moonbeam. The next thing she knew she was standing in the middle of the garden as a slight breeze went by, playing with her hair.

It had taken her the almost the rest of the night to figure out how she got there, how she could return and what limitations traveling via moonbeams had. She just had time to leave her present for the cheating merchant before she had to return to Ludo's home in the Mushroom Forest.

Sarah came across a suitable moonbeam and stepped into it, the picture the window of her current target firmly in her mind. But instead of appearing on the window ledge, she was taken to the last place she would have wanted to go to; the Bog of Eternal Stench. Instantly Sarah mumbled a charm that deadened her sense of smell, the stench from the bog being reduced from puke-your-guts awful to about the level of just bearable unpleasantness.

Sarah was about to step back through the moonbeam she had come through but she heard what sounded like a group of people wading through the muck. Her curiosity got the best of her (for the millionth time it seemed) and she ducked behind a half-dead bush and watched the oddest group of adventurers appear out of the haze above the bog.

There were a pair of goblin twins that were tall and lanky (for goblins) who had warts all over their huge bulbous noses and had seven fingers on each hand. There appeared to be what looked like a dwarf with a beard so long that it was practically longer than the man itself. The bread dragged behind him, collecting the sludge as he cheerfully whistled as he waded through the muck. There was a short creature that looked like a ten year old human child, but it had long elf-like ears that ended in furry tufts and had short stubby knobs on the top of each knuckle on every one of its fingers.

By far the oddest creature in the group was the stunningly lovely creature that flew a few feet above the others, her nose wrinkled in disgust at the smell that surrounded her. So at least one of the members of this odd group of creatures didn't want to end up smelling like the bog slime for the rest of their lives.

But what was so odd about the woman was not her wings, though those were strange in their own right, but the fact that every curse word she let out sounded like liquid honey. Any other words that were not explicatives that she spoke sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Sarah just couldn't figure out how that could work.

Suddenly the dwarf caught his foot on something in the muck, tripped and disappeared under the sludge with a snarled oath. A moment later he popped back up sputtering a long, slime covered thing grasped in his equally slimy hands.

"Cretan!" the strange woman called, "how could you take a bath in this nasty stuff?"

"Reminds me of home Helexa," the dwarf called up grinning.

"You hated your home," the odd child-like being commented.

"Exactly!" the dwarf exclaimed, "I just like to get a reminder once of a while for why I left in the first place in the case that I ever get the urge to return."

"So whaddya got there Cretin?" one of the goblin twins asked.

"The name's Cretan!" the dwarf roared as he tried to wipe off the object with his muck covered beard.

"Settle down you old fart," the other goblin taunted.

"Oh shut up you two brick heads!" the dwarf yelled as the goblins cackled.

Finally the dwarf succeeded in cleaning off the object, though his beard looked even worse than before (if that was even possible after his dip in the bog).

"Holy Flying Bricks!" he whispered, "I think that I found it!"

"You found the Sword of Wind?" the child asked.

"Only one way to find out," he grunted as he swung the rusty blade in a clumsy arc above his head.

A sound that sounded suspiciously like a fart came from the sword as the dwarf swung it overhead.

Instantly the goblins and the child-like creature burst out cackling. The dwarf had an expression on his face that looked suspiciously like a grin and the flying woman was giggling like a schoolgirl.

"We have finally found the Sword of Wind!" the child exclaimed, "I can't wait to shove it in the faces of all those idiots back in the village that never believed that the Sword never existed."

"I bet that it smells as bad as it sounds," one of the goblin twins piped up.

"Wonder who we should try it out on?" the other one added.

Instantly an idea sprung in Sarah's mind. If she played her cards right, she could turn this into the biggest prank yet. She was sure that if she could pull this one off that she would definitely get a certain someone's attention.

* * *

Jareth went to bed the next night after another long day in court listening to his supplicants moan about one thing or another. It was the night of the quarter moon. Jareth finally peeled himself away from his window where he had been moon gazing and slipped between the sheets on his bed intent on getting a good night's rest.

He had been sleeping for about two hours, during which the fuzzy orb had flashed into his dreams at least twice when a commotion woke him up.

"What the bloody blazes is going on?" he roared.

"It's just us yer majesty," a familiar voice spoke up, "we wanted to show you what we found in the Bog."

"How the hell did you get in here?" he demanded, pinching his nose shut at the bog stench that was drifting across the room from the band of adventurers.

"We rode on the moonlight," one of the goblin twins quipped.

"Come-on, lets show him what the Sword of the Wind can really do!" the other twin cajoled.

"All right," the chobla agreed, "let's show him what we got!"

The chobla motioned to the dwarf. He pulled out a rusty blade from behind his back and swung it around his head with a flourish. The sound of a loud, long-winded fart filled the room.

"Thankee yer majesty for your hospitality," the harpy-siren hybrid bowed as she stepped into the moonlight streaming into Jareth's room.

The others followed suit and the moment the last of them stepped into the moonlight they disappeared.

Jareth cursed and threw the shutters closed.

"Blasted adventurers," Jareth growled, "I would throw them into the bog except that they already looked to have taken a dip in it themselves."

To his dismay, the stench of the bog did not dissipate when the group had left. He tried summoning a crystal to clear out the stench, but no matter what he did, it clung to the room.

Jareth ended up sleeping in one of the guest suites that night and was undisturbed for the rest of the night by the presence that kept on flashing that image of the glowing orb into his dreams.

* * *

Sarah giggled at the exuberant tale the group told her about their exploits in the Goblin King's room earlier that evening. She could just picture the look on Jareth's face when he found out about the lasting effects of the 'magical wind' created by the Sword of Wind when swung.

"It was nice doing business with you," Helexa told Sarah as she shook the Moon Child's hand.

"Likewise," Sarah responded with a grin.

"I can't wait hear the tales of your exploits in the future," the chobla smirked, "from one trickster to another, I wish you luck in your future endeavors."

"Till later," the goblin twins chimed.

"Till later," Sarah agreed.

And the Moon Child and the band of adventurers parted ways as they walked off in one direction and Sarah vanished in a beam of moonlight.

* * *

"What do you mean that it won't go away for three more days?" Jareth roared at the timid goblin scholar (a rare breed) who had delivered the bad news.

A couple of shingles fell off the roof and a cat yowled off in the distance. Back in the huge pile of sticks, leaves and moss, Sarah smiled in her sleep.

* * *

Please leave a review on your way out.


	10. Somthing's gotta give

Moon Child

By Whiteinfinity21

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth

* * *

Chapter 9- Somthing's gotta give

Jareth was beyond furious. If those band of adventurers ever set foot in his kingdom again he would skin them alive. Already the tale about the king's late night visit were circulating around the castle and it wouldn't be too long until the rumors hit the streets.

He could see why the "fabled" Sword of Wind had been purposely lost. Such an odious weapon would alert the enemy to one's location with the tiniest movement of the blasted sword. It had probably been given to some conquering hero as joke. Given its history, Jareth wasn't surprised that a chobla would go after it. They, other else than some goblins, were practically the only creature that would want such a thing.

_Why did I ever let them into my castle in the first place?_ Jareth wondered as he broke his fast, _oh yeah, it was because of the harpy-siren hybrid. What a miserable creature she (and the rest of her group) turned out to be.

* * *

_

The moon madness had been upon her since last night. Up to the first quarter of the moon's cycle Sarah acted relatively normal, barring the odd statements that popped up at least once in every conversation. But once the moon hit that pivotal quarter crescent, strange ideas started floating around in her head. Ideas, that she more frequently acted out as the full moon drew closer.

"Good afternoon Ludo!" Sarah called in a sing-song voice.

She ran over to hug the beast before leaping off and twirling around for almost a minute.

"Whee!" she cried as she spun.

A second later her foot caught on a rock and she went tumbling back into Ludo. Sarah cackled merrily.

"Sawah okay?" Ludo asked hesitantly.

"Just a little mad at the moment," Sarah announced in a grave voice with a big smile spread across her face, "don't mind me, I get this way as the full moon draws close."

Ludo nodded uncertainly, he had never seen Sarah act like this. One moment she was perfectly normal, the next she was acting totally loopy (like she was doing now), or talking to the air (aka the moon), or picking up random objects and chucking them as far as she could, an angry expression on her face or doing some other sort of odd behavior.

"Hey Ludo what is your favorite kind of rock?" Sarah asked, stopping her giggling abruptly, suddenly serious.

"Ludo like all rocks, rocks fwiends," Ludo happily purred, "Sawah fwiend."

"Always," Sarah promised, "oh that's right!"

Sarah dug something out of her pocket. She held the moonstone she had found a few nights earlier out to Ludo. The beast's eyes widened.

"That special rock," Ludo breathed, still not taking the moonstone.

"Very special rock," Sarah agreed, "I want Ludo to have rock. A gift to my dear friend."

"Sawah sure?" Ludo asked.

"Quite," she answered with a brisk nod.

Ludo finally took the rock off of Sarah's hand with a big, furry paw.

"Special rock, Sawah's rock," Ludo crooned, "Ludo keep safe."

Suddenly Sarah's back went rigid and she took on a posture of listening intently to something. Ludo strained his ears but could hear nothing out of the ordinary in the forest around them. Just as suddenly Sarah shot to her feet.

"Gotta go Ludo," Sarah said as she gave him a quick hug, "my mistress calls."

And then the ethereal maiden sprinted out of the clearing, disappearing in the forest within seconds. Ludo scratched his head in confusion before turning his attention back to the moonstone that was faintly glowing in the late afternoon light.

* * *

Toby saw something scuttle furtively around out of the corner of his eye. He whirled around to get a better look at it. A second later a loud crash was heard behind him. Toby heard the sound of low giggling, whipped around again and saw a flash of something small, olive green and wrinkly with huge bat ears wave merrily at him before vanishing before his very eyes.

"Hey wait!" Toby called a second too late.

"Toby what is going on up there?" Karen called as she tromped up the stairs, "I thought that I told you to do your homework in your room."

Toby took the sight in front of him and groaned. That thing, a gobbling he mused, had knocked over his mother's favorite porcelain figurine. It lay on the carpet in a dozen pieces. Toby hurried to try and hide the pieces before Karen reached him, but was too late.

"Toby!" Karen shrieked, "that was the statuette that my grandmother gave me when I was a child. It was one of a kind, absolutely priceless. Why were you roughhousing around in my room when you were supposed to be doing your homework?!"

"I didn't do it!" Toby protested.

"I don't see anyone else around who could have done it," Karen archly replied.

"It wasn't me! The goblin did it!" he defended.

"Goblin? You are blaming this on goblins?!" Karen exploded, "if you didn't look so much like me I'd swear that you weren't my child. What is with Robert's children's obsession with that nonsense."

"It was real, I tell you," Toby yelled, "I saw it wave at me before it vanished."

"How convenient," Karen snapped, "first it was your sister with her fairy tales and her moon obsession. Now it is you with your demons and goblins. I've had enough of this from you buster. You're grounded until you stop insisting that magic and fantasy creatures are real. I'm also taking away your allowance for two months to pay for the repairs of the figurine you broke."

"I told you I didn't do it you daft woman!" Toby hollered.

"I'm taking away your electronic privileges as well for the time you're grounded for being so disrespectful," Karen shouted, "now get to your room and don't come out till dinner time. No dessert either."

"I wish that the goblins would come and take you away and lock you in a nasty, smelly pit!" Toby yelled as he slammed the door to his room behind him.

"Silence!" Karen barked, "not another peep out of you tonight or you can skip dinner as well."

Toby jumped on his bed, an angry scowl on his face. The golden haired child looked up at the picture of him and Sarah on his wall.

"It's not fair Sarah! It's just not fair. Why can't I make my escape from this wretched place like you did?" Toby grumbled, "why won't the goblins come when I call? That Demeter had better be right, I can't take much more of this."

* * *

"He growing up to be as spoiled and as bratty as I was when I was fifteen," Sarah mused as the scene of Toby's bedroom faded from view in the still pool that reflected the heavy moon in its waters, "I wonder if it will take him having to run the Labyrinth like I did to make him stop being such a selfish, rude brat?"

A glimmer of light off in the distance caught Sarah's attention.

"I wonder what that is?" she asked, getting up and walking toward it, the pool filled with moon glow forgotten.

Sarah could hear enchanting music off in the distance. The same fervor that had filled her mind during her first moon dance ignited in her blood. She would dance tonight, till the moon set as the first light of false dawn was appearing in the eastern horizon. The things that she had set in motion the last week were going to come to a head soon. Sarah pitied anyone who got in her way.

* * *

The reports that he had received while in court that day had grown from the odd and somewhat humorous to being downright bizarre. One hysterical brownie had babbled something about an old fountain in the outer maze that had been dry for over a hundred years suddenly springing to life for half a day before it mysteriously stopped flowing again. Just today he had heard three separate accounts of a strange woman dancing in the moonlight, singing words to a song in a language that no one had even heard before.

Also things around the Goblin City had started vanishing mysteriously, only to reappear in the most unlikely of places. The list included a lady's wig that had appeared under a roosting hen, a blacksmith's hammer that was found on top of a guard tower, an ornate hairpin found floating in the air above the fountain in the market square and so on.

Things were getting strained between his kingdom's inhabitants and Jareth knew that something was going to give.

* * *

It was only two days away from the night of the full moon. Sarah was already up and gone from Ludo's home before the moon had even risen that night. Her destination was unknown this night, she had simply woken up and started dancing, flashing about to different locations as she stepped into random moonbeams.

So far she had startled an old goblin who was muttering in a drunken daze, making him pass out and piss his pants and she had caused a junk lady to drop her load as she appeared in one moonbeam, whirled a few feet away and vanished in another one.

Sarah didn't know if it was normal for a Moon Child to be doing their own particular full moon ritual days before the full moon itself, but she couldn't stop the fervor that burned in her blood, causing her to dance the night away. She also had had no more time for her pranks, the one she had done on Jareth had been the last. She was too caught up in her Moon Madness to pull any more off.

What she didn't know was the trail of unexplainable, even by magic, occurrences that seemed to happen everywhere she went. The Goblin King on the other hand was getting an earful about these strange events that seemed to follow in the Moon Maiden's wake every day in court. In fact his subjects just wouldn't shut up about it. To say that Jareth was beyond irritated was an understatement.

But Sarah didn't know any of this. All she could hear was the unearthly music that filled her mind and was helpless to do anything but to sway to its beat and rhythms. Sarah didn't mind the moon madness in the slightest, for a Moon Child, the night of the full moon was a time of euphoria and exhilaration. The one thing that did worry Sarah slightly was that she never had seen any of the others in the Moon Clan getting this level of madness any time except during the full moon itself.

Sarah could only wonder what would happen on the full moon, two nights hence. Would she succeed in drawing Jareth out of his castle? Would he join her in her dance or would he go out on his own? Sarah desperately hoped that he would seek her out. She burned not only with Selene's will but her own desire for him to be with her, to touch her, to do things that Sarah could hardly envision in her mind. She still was a virgin after all, she didn't know the first thing about sex.

Sarah biggest concern would be Jareth's reaction to her after all this time. To him it had over a decade, to her it had been only a few years. Time flowed differently on the different levels of existence. Time flowed slower on the Lunar Lands and faster in the Underground. The passage of time Aboveground was somewhere closer to the Underground, thought slightly slower, if Toby's age in her dream and later the vision in the pool was anything to go by.

_Everything will happen as Selene wills it_, Sarah thought as she once more was lost to the moon induced fervor.

* * *

The Bog was rather quiet this night. None of the usual night fliers were out and most of the blood sucking insects that called this dank place home were dormant. The moonlight turned the normally drab bog water into a molten lake of sparkling silver.

Sir Diddymus twitched his nose as a slight breeze sluggishly tugged at his fur.

_Ah,_ the little fox thought, _such a quiet and peaceful night with no clouds in sight. Perfect for moon gazing since it is too bright out to see the stars._

Ambrosa barked at something that moved in the moonlight.

"I say Ambrosa, what has got you all stirred up?" Sir Diddymus exclaimed.

A figure appeared in the moonlight, moving in manner that the fox knight could only call a dance. But such a dance he had never seen before. The girl who winded through the moonbeams glided across the landscape and he could have sworn that she actually floated across a part of the bog at one point.

_She is a lovely maiden from what I can see,_ Sir Diddymus thought, _what is a girl like her doing out in a place like this at night, all alone? I must offer her my protection while she is here. Don't want to have her slip on a rock and fall into the bog water. She would most likely catch a cold._

"My lady-" Sir Diddymus started to call out only to be interrupted by Ambrosa's barking as the dog ran after the girl.

"Ambrosa you daft old mutt, get back here!" Sir Diddymus yelled.

Just as the old sheepdog reached the girl, she stepped on the patch of solid ground in the middle of the bog and both the girl and the dog vanished in a flash.

"Ambrosa?" Sir Diddymus called.

* * *

"Your majesty! Your majesty!" Sir Diddymus called as he burst into the throne room.

Jareth groaned, the last thing he could have wanted was a visit from the energetic little knight.

"What is it?" Jareth groaned as the little fox skidded to a halt before the throne.

"Last night I saw the oddest thing-" he began.

"Let me guess," Jareth cut in, "a woman dancing in the moonlight."

"How didst your majesty know?" the knight asked puzzled, cocking his head to the side.

"I've only received five other similar reports today," Jareth drawled.

"But your majesty, my steed Ambrosa ran off after her and vanished into the moonlight," Sir Diddymus continued, "he only came back just as the moon finished setting. And he as changed."

"Changed?" Jareth asked, rising an eyebrow.

"It would be easiest to see for yourself," Sir Diddymus commented, "Ambrosa here boy!"

The sound of paws scampering on marble floor came form the entrance of the throne room. A small, shaggy sheepdog puppy scrambled into the throne room, his oversized paws slipping on the slick floor. Ambrosa barked happily as he ran towards his master, tumbling over his own paws and crashing into a stray goblin.

Jareth sat there flabbergasted as the puppy got up again and jumped on Sir Diddymus and licked his face.

"Down boy, I say get down. That is hardly proper behavior in front of the king," Sir Diddymus lectured.

"Thank you Sir Diddymus," the Goblin King spoke distractedly as he slumped back into his throne, "court is dismissed early today."

Immediately all the petitioners protested. Jareth growled at them and they all bolted for the closest exit whether it was the doorway or a window.

"Are you of sound health sire?" Sir Diddymus inquired as he approached the throne, a wiggling puppy trailing behind him.

"I'm fine, Sir Diddymus," Jareth groaned.

At the knight's skeptical look Jareth continued.

"I'm just a bit surprised by your tale," the Goblin King added, "shouldn't get back to your post?"

"Oh fiddlesticks!" the knight cursed as he ran out of the throne room.

Jareth was just getting up from his throne, intent on taking an early lunch when a goblin messenger burst into the throne room.

"Majesty! Majesty!" the goblin gibbered, "there is a mob outside the castle gates demanding to see you!"

Jareth swore and vanished in a shower of glitter.

* * *

Yes a third one up. Next chappie will be when the fun truly begins. Look forward to it by Monday by the latest. Though the chappie after it might be a bit longer in coming.

Please leave a review on your way out!


	11. Night of the Full Moon

Moon Child

By Whiteinfinity21

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth

* * *

Chapter 10- Night of the Full Moon

_The previous night_

"I've had it with these unexplainable acts of madness!" a goblin yelled.

A round of "ayes" greeted the gnome's pronouncement.

"Why last night, all the beer in my lovely distillery turned into bean juice," a drunken goblin with saggy skin bemoaned, "I lost a lot of money due to that, now how will I be able to feed ma youngins?"

"Ah shut yer trap Cronko," a dwarf who went by the name Rusty rumbled, "that pig's swill that you call ale that your so called distillery produces smells bad enough to make a troll pass out."

"I'll have you know that I makes the best goblin ale hick in the whole kingdom," Cronko indignantly protested.

"And it tastes even worse," the gnome, called Trunt, seated next to the dwarf muttered.

"But me profits!" Cronko wailed.

"What profits?!" Rusty bellowed, "your wife is the one that makes all the earnings in your household, all you do is sit around all day drinking that horse piss you brew in your basement. I would take bean juice over that bog water you make any day. Plus you don't have any kids. Yer misses doesn't want you to reproduce, remember?"

The others at the tavern table roared at the last comment.

"I've heard that the King has been hearing a lot of complaints about this mysterious outbreak of pranks from some of the more vocal citizens," a fat goblin called Grumple spoke up.

"Yer talking about 'Madam' Butterbread ain't ye?" Trunt chuckled, "that woman has the lungs of a dragon I swear. Can't hardly hear anything for almost an hour after I talk with her."

"Oh yeah, she's very vocal that one," Grumple agreed, "I heard from my second cousin Stinkpot who has the dubious fortune to be married to that harridan that she has been to the castle four times already this week."

"Have any of you sorry sods heard about that crazy woman who dances at night?" Cronko asked.

"Who hasn't?" the dwarf snorted.

"I saw her meself last night when I was out trying to smash one of those dratted fairies that had gotten into me home-" Grumple recalled.

"You mean shack," Trunt interjected.

"Into me lovely abode," Grumple continued, "she just waltzed (literally might I add) into the backyard as if she owned the place and then disappeared when I blinked."

"What little present did she leave ya?" Cronko asked.

"All the lovely weeds she passed over wilted and those nasty bluebells that I have been trying to get rid of doubled in size," Grumple scowled.

"Only a lousy goblin would want a garden full of weeds instead of flowers," a garden sprite at the table next to theirs muttered.

"Aw shut it Tinkerbell," Grumple yelled.

"Go roll in pig offal," the sprite shot back, "it would make you smell better!"

"Stupid pixies," Grumple grumbled.

"She's right about you smelling better Grumple," the gnome informed the fuming goblin, "even for a goblin your personal hygiene is atrocious."

"Me wife thinks that I smell like a bed of roses," Grumple sniffed.

"Only if those roses are dead and decaying," Cronko added.

"Another round bar wench!" Rusty bellowed, waving his empty clay mug in the air.

The bar maid, a half-human, half-goblin called Mille Rosa came over and plucked the clay mug out of the dwarf's meaty hand.

"I think that the four of ya have had enough," Mille Rosa reprimanded above the dwarf's loud protests, "now pay up and get back to your wives before I call Big Timmy over."

Big Timmy was the tavern's bouncer, a five hundred pound ogre who wielded his oversized club with ruthless efficiency. No one messed with the bouncer at the Silver Pig, a decent tavern in the middle class district of the Goblin City. That was unless they wanted to go home with a few broken bones and a cracked skull.

The four at the table grumbled but tossed a few copper coins on the table and went out the door, the dwarf and Cronko the goblin slightly staggering.

"You knows what I have been thinking?" Grumple mused.

"That must be a great feat of brainpower," Rusty muttered.

Grumple ignored the dwarf and continued, "if da King has been hearing so many complaints about these strange accidents, why hasn't he gotten off of his royal arse and done something about it?"

"I say that we go to the castle tomorrow and demand that the Goblin King do something about it," Cronko vehemently stated.

"I think that you daft goblins are onto something," Rusty commented, "but we need to bolster our ranks, I don't think that we won't be able to get our message across to his royal highness with just the four of us."

"I think I have an idea," Trunt said.

* * *

Somehow the small mob of about thirty of the original four's friends and family that Rusty, Trunt, Grumple and Cronko had gathered managed to attract about six hundred other goblins sometime as they headed to the castle. The original thirty did not appreciate the huge addition to their small, well organized mob.

For one the additional goblins had no idea what the original group had been heading to the castle for. Secondly, everyone there could smell the pungent fumes of fairy weed, a plant that when burnt and the fumes inhaled had a similar effect as the Aboveground drug called marijuana, coming off the majority of the other group that had joined them.

Of course the most important reason why the additional groups of goblins was unwelcome to those going to demand that the Goblin King take action about the outbreak of nightly pranks was because they were chanting "All hail the Golden Chicken!" continuously. They even had a statue that hardly resembled a chicken covered in tacky golden glitter that the goblins at the front of the group were holding in the air above their heads.

They were also attracting more followers who took up the chant, much to the dismay of the original thirty.

Jareth reappeared on the top of the steps leading up to the castle's front gate. He groaned when he saw the size of the mob gathered there. There must be at least one thousand goblins packed into the courtyard.

"The Goblin King has arrived!" one goblin squealed.

A wave of "The Goblin King has arrived!" traveled across the entire mob except for a small knot of thirty of so smack dab in the middle of the crowd. They all had scowls on their faces and looked none too happy to be surrounded by their fellow goblins. A wind whipped over the crowd and blew into Jareth's face.

_Lovely,_ he thought grimacing, _some idiot provided enough fairy weed to those idiots to get them all high. _

"Yer majesty," one of the goblins approached him, "we have come here today to spread the word of the Great Golden Chicken to our brethren in the castle who have yet to hear of the Glorious One's coming."

The goblin motioned to the goblins carrying a statue that looked like a huge golden lump that vaguely resembled a chicken. Reverently they got up and carried the statue up the steps. Jareth narrowed his eyes as he took in the statue they placed a few steps below him. Something about the paint they used looked vaguely familiar.

_Those buggers used the magical dust that is left whenever I transport somewhere,_ the Goblin King realized.

"Your esteemed majesty," the lead goblin, dressed in what looked like some of the throne room's draperies, continued, "we present you with this holy statue of the all-powerful Golden Chicken as invitation to join in the worship of the Golden Chicken's might."

Jareth just stared at the lead goblin. The seconds ticked by and the crowd grew silent. The lead goblin had an expectant smile on its face as the Goblin King narrowed his eyes.

"You bunch of brainless morons!" Jareth roared, absolutely livid, "you dragged me out here just for this!"

The smile withered on the lead goblin's face

"This thing is a piece of junk!" he continued, "I would dump the lot of you in the bog but then every corner of the Labyrinth would stink because the sheer number of you imbeciles."

"B-b-but your majesty," the lead goblin blubbered.

"Enough!" he snapped.

Jareth summoned a dozen crystals to his hands. He threw all twelve at the mob spread out in front of him and they flew to different points all across the crowd. With a loud pop and a big flash all the goblins that had gathered in the courtyard to spread the word of the Golden Chicken vanished.

Miles away the wailing of almost a thousand goblins was heard by the Goblin King still standing in the castle's courtyard who had been dumped into the coldest lake in the kingdom. Jareth growled under is breath at the idiocy of the goblins he was king of. A glint of gold caught his eye.

Jareth's lip curled in distain and he tossed another crystal at the statue that the goblins had tried to foist off onto him. The statue vanished the moment the crystal hit it and it was dropped into the deepest part of the Bog of Eternal Stench where it would never be heard from again, or so the Goblin King hoped.

It was after both the statue and the goblins that had come with it had been dealt with when Jareth finally noticed the small group of assorted creatures that remained. They actually looked threatening (if very relieved to be rid of the following of the Golden Chicken) armed to the teeth with anything that could remotely be used as a weapon. There were plenty of rolling pins, pitch forks, shovels, iron skillets and other such paraphernalia but a few of them were holding thongs such as table legs and something that suspiciously looked like rubber fish.

"What do you lot want?" Jareth snapped as they approached the Goblin King.

"We sir are quite fed up with all these stupid pranks that keep on happening," a gnome self-righteously declared.

"So?" I got at least a dozen complaints today already," Jareth sneered.

"We were hoping to persuade you to do something to make them stop," a dwarf threatened, running a finger along one of the sides of his double-headed axe when he spoke the word "persuade".

Jareth sighed. This just wasn't looking to be his day. What was with his subjects today. First that irritating Sir Didymus showed up with his old sheepdog that he used as a steed that had been turned into a puppy, and then he had to deal with the mob of deranged goblins that came with the golden chicken. Now he had to deal with this surly lot.

"I have been going out for the last three nights to personally look for the perpetrator of all this and I will continue to do until I or one of the goblin guards catches him," Jareth stated, "now if you don't vacate in the next minute, I _will_ send the lot of you to the Bog."

The small crowd of thirty or so unhappily grumbled, the air taken out of their sails by the Goblin King's statement, and shuffled out of the courtyard. Jareth transported himself to his study where his personal aid was waiting for him.

"Clear my schedule for the next two weeks," Jareth ordered, "I'm going to be out of the castle looking for the creature responsible for the strange rash of unexplainable events that has been plaguing my kingdom for the last two weeks. After I apprehend the perpetrator, I will be taking the rest of the two weeks as a personal vacation."

"Anything else sire?" the aid asked.

"Yes, direct all supplicants seeking the king's advice to the city courts and inform the chatelaine that he will be in charge of all minor problems involving the state and that I'm not to be contacted unless a major emergency comes up," Jareth dictated.

"And any wish aways?" the aid asked.

"Have the captain of the guard deal with them," Jareth decided.

"Very good sire," the aid spoke, "is there anything else?"

"That will be all," Jareth dismissed the aide.

_These last few days have been a literal nightmare,_ Jareth thought as he slumped back into his chair.

* * *

Swirling, twirling, leaping, gliding, soaring, dancing to the music of the moon. Humming, chanting, crooning, singing words in the language used by the Moon Children, praising, serenading, celebrating the coming climax of the moon's cycle.

Everything had fallen into place. The wayward child would seek her out in less than two day's time, on the night of the full moon.

* * *

Finally it was the night of the full moon. Jareth felt full of energy and his skin constantly prickled with the feeling of something watching him. For the past two nights Jareth's searching had yet to produce any solid evidence of who had been responsible for the kingdom wide wave of pranks. He himself had been a victim of a particularly odious one in an incident that involved a band of adventurers and an infamous sword that should have been left forgotten.

He had slept during the day so he could hunt for both the prankster and the woman who danced in the moonlight. Jareth was almost certain that the two were actually the same person but he no evidence to back that conviction up.

Just as the sun had set and the moon had started to rise, Jareth had caught strands of music floating in the air and he had been pursuing the source of the unearthly melody for half an hour. A ball of light flashed by to his right and Jareth took off in silent pursuit.

He kept on darting left and right to avoid the trees as he followed the tiny glowing figure as it flew onwards, the faint strands of music getting stronger as he kept on running. Jareth dodged around another tree and found himself standing in the middle of a small tree-bounded meadow. The tiny glowing creature joined the others in the clearing. Jareth realized that he had stumbled upon a fairy ring and cursed under his breath. He was not looking for a blasted fairy ring that was used to trap mortals, but a girl who danced in the moonlight.

_What a bloody nuisance,_ Jareth silently snarled, turning his back to the dancing fairies.

Then right before his very eyes a woman appeared out of the moonlight, dancing and swaying not to the fairies' tune of fascination, but to a silent music that only she seemed to hear.

_No wait, I can hear it as well,_ Jareth distantly thought as his eyes fastened onto her backside that was swaying in an interesting manner, her long dark hair that looked like liquid silk acting as a counterpoint to her hip's movements.

_This certainly is no little girl here,_ Jareth thought as desire started to cloud his mind, _not a little girl at all…_

What Jareth was too preoccupied to notice in his trance, as he watched the woman dance around the edge of the meadow, was that the music he was listening to he wasn't actually picking up with his ears. He was hearing it in his mind.

The entranced Goblin King strained to catch a glimpse of this moon nymph's face but every time she was facing toward him for a fraction of a second, the moonlight and her hair obstructed his view. Seeing the face of this moon maid, knowing who she was suddenly became the most important thing in the world to Jareth.

The mystery woman had completed about two thirds of her circuit around the edge of the meadow when she suddenly changed direction and headed straight to the fairy ring in the middle of the clearing.

_She can't possibly be that daft,_ Jareth thought, _those Aboveground fairy tales do have more than a grain of truth in them, especially about the more dangerous things to mortals. Like fairy rings._

The woman didn't seem to know the dangers about fairy rings though, she continued to dance straight towards and finally into the center of the fairy ring. In a blink of an eye, the woman's movements became faster as she became a whirl of silken hair and sliver garments flashing in the moonlight. The fairies also picked up their dance and it looked like there was a pale rainbow with ever changing colors encircling the woman.

Faster and faster they went, so fast that they made Jareth's eyes hurt. Then when he thought that they could go no faster, the woman in the middle of the circle suddenly stopped. Jareth could finally make out the woman's face for the first time as she stared him straight in the eye. His heart skipped a beat.

"Sarah," a very stunned Goblin King whispered.

Sarah acknowledged his naming of her with a slight nod, a coy smile etched on her lips. She reached up with one pale hand and tucked some of the hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear. The Moon Child then walked straight out of the fairy circle as they continued their rapid aerial dance and headed towards the still stunned Jareth.

_She should be much older,_ a distant part of his mind commented as Jareth took in her sparkling eyes, her full lips and flawless skin that looked to be formed out of the moonlight itself.

"How? Why?" Jareth stumbled as he tired to collect his scattered wits, "what are you?"

Sarah laughed softly and drew closer to him. Sarah whispered in his ear, her words sending a pleasant shiver up his spine.

_Mortal born and mortal raised I was, true_

_But a selfish, impulsive wish opened my eyes_

_Mortal still I sat and stewed, longing for the unreal_

_Till I dreamed and was consumed by madness_

_Mortal changing, though unknowing I was_

_On Autumn Equinox I was called and ran unheedingly into the night,_

_The ties that I had to the mortal world slowly dissolving_

_Mortal almost no more I was joined by others who had heard the call_

_Traveling with them for a third of a dozen years_

_Mortal no longer, I fell to the Underground_

_To retrieve Selene's wayward child_

_What am I?_

"Selene, one of the above ground names for the goddess of the moon," Jareth mused, "Selene's child, one with moon fire dancing in their eyes."

"Have you figured out what I am?" Sarah whispered.

"A child, though fully mature, of the moon," he realized.

"Come," Sarah beckoned as she slowly drew backwards, "come Jareth, dance with me, dance with me under the moonlight and I shall lead you home wayward child."

Jareth was helpless to do anything but follow, magic, moon magic, pulsating in the air around him, his gaze caught by Sarah's shinning eyes dancing with moon fire. His heart was racing and a strange euphoria filled his mind as he followed Sarah back into the center of the fairy ring.

Sarah laid her hands on his arms as he placed one hand on her shoulder and the other on her waist. Slowly they started waltzing, Jareth following Sarah's lead as the moon's melody encircled the pair. They danced through the night, in the center of the fairy circle, Jareth's gaze trapped by Sarah's sparkling green eyes that whispered of hidden knowledge, promising of things to come.

* * *

Toby came home from school in a black mood. Clutched tightly in his left hand was a crumpled teacher's note. His teacher had failed him for cheating during the test while the entire class had been taking the math test. It had actually had been the kid next to him that had copied his answers, but that didn't seem to matter to the teacher since he and not the other kid was the one that blamed for two test papers that held identical answers.

It went without saying whose side Karen would believe. The kid who had been the one who had copied his answers was the son of the school district's superintendent and none of the teachers dared to try to discipline the little snot in fear of getting a pay cut or being fired. Toby's mother was also the best friend of the boy's mother and often compared Toby to the other kid always complaining that she wished that her son was more like Markus.

_I knew that I should have given the little brat a bloody lip when I saw him smirking when Mr. Erickson wrote me that note,_ Toby darkly thought, a scowl etched onto his face.

Toby took off his backpack and rustled around in the outer pocket for his keys. Finally locating them, Toby swung the backpack back onto his back by one strap. The golden haired, blue-eyes boy inserted the key into the dead bolt and unlocked the door.

_Time to face the music,_ he thought as the front door opened to reveal his scowling mother.

* * *

As the moon started to set in the Underground, the fairy circle dispersed, the biting pests going back to their usual haunts. The moon was just rising Aboveground as Toby received a lecture from his mother about how disappointed she was in him and had hoped that he would turn out better than his screw-up of a sister. Underground, Jareth and Sarah continued to dance under to moonlight in the now empty meadow. The moon was almost at it peak in the sky as Toby received another lecture, this time from his father, as the boy silently fumed at the unfairness of it all.

Aboveground Toby yelled the words that would forever alter his life and Underground the dancing couple went faster and faster as the moon continued to sink.

"I WISH THAT THE GOBLINS WOULD COME AND TAKE ME AWAY RIGHT NOW!!!!" Toby bellowed.

Underground in the forest contained in the vast area of the Labyrinth the moon had just touched the eastern horizon.

"I love you," Sarah whispered in Jareth's ear just before they vanished in a flash.

Aboveground, two parents could only stare slack jawed at the spot their son had been a second earlier. Underground the flash of light faded from the meadow, leaving a bewildered boy standing in the spot the Jareth and Sarah had last been standing.

"It really worked," Toby murmured as he looked around him, "but where is Sarah?"

* * *

Here is the first big climax that all my readers have been looking forward to. A big thanks to all my reviewers, especially all-you-pretty-things, without you I would probably be updating much slower.

Cliffy? I'll let the readers decide that. Please leave a review on your way out. Perhaps if I get inspired enough, you will have a brand new chappie up on Monday.


	12. Lost and Found

Moon Child

By Whiteinfinity21

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth.

Note: Lemony content ahead.

* * *

Chapter 12- Lost and Found

Afterwards Jareth could never really recall what happened after his first encounter with a very changed Sarah from what he remebered under the full moon. He had flashes of a moonlit landscape where creatures and plants that flourished in the moonlight were abundant and widespread. He had snippets of voices and faces that greeted Sarah and him and took them into their celebrations. From what little he could recall, the strangers that they spent some time with seemed to know and be very fond of Sarah, who they called Luna.

Two faces in particular seemed to stand out in his memory, one of an otherwise lovely and enchanting female creature who had a network of thin sliver scars running across her face and an eyeless, genderless creature that had an air of slight separation from the physical world around it. He couldn't even recall the names Sarah had identified them by, only that the sightless one had turned in his direction and had nodded in approval at Sarah, an elusive smile curling at the corner of its lips.

He recalled snatches of conversation in a language that he almost seemed to recognize and understand, the meaning of the words they spoke just out of his grasp. All the events, faces, voices and words of the others were nothing more than a faded blur, even his own actions were unknown to him. The presence that had been invading his dreams surrounded him at all times and the moonlight that drenched the landscape around him had overpowered everything else, leaving him with few solid memories of what occurred during the time.

Though there were two events that stood out in Jareth's mind from the time he had spent in that other realm. The first was of him chasing Sarah and being chased at the same by the Moon Child as well. That strange game of tag slash hide and go seek ended when Sarah had tackled him to the ground, Jareth hitting his back on a small patch of clover in an area that the moonlight spilled through in an opening in the tree canopy above them.

They then engaged in a bout of playful wrestling, neither of them really gaining the upper hand for long as they tussled around, messing up their clothing and disheveling their hair. At one point they had paused, Jareth noticing how lovely she looked with her exercise flushed face and how her eyes sparkled with mirth in the silver moonlight. Sarah for her part must have found something about his condition that made her swiftly change her mind set.

xxxxxxxxx start lemon scene xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Before either of them really knew what was happening, they were locked in a passionate, heated kiss, with their hands roving over the other's body, slipping under their clothing and exploring the skin beneath. Clothing soon went flying everywhere and Jareth had stepped back a moment to admire how fetching Sarah was wearing absolutely nothing standing in the moonlight. Her eyes now were shinning with passion, lust and a softer emotion that Jareth couldn't identify and the moon fire danced in her eyes.

But of course, Jareth being what he was (i.e. male), didn't take long to admire Sarah and went in for the kill. It was his turn to tackle her to the ground and claim those lovely lips as his own, his fingers doing wicked things to the squirming female beneath him that made her moan in appreciation. Then, quite to his surprise, Sarah flipped him over and was now straddling him. She turned the tables on Jareth and used his very techniques against him. It was now his turn to lay on the ground, helpless as Sarah almost cruelly toyed with and teased him with her delightfully skilled fingers.

After a while he regained control and was the one toying with her. They continued their sensual dance of male and female, of dominance and submission for what could have been minutes or hours, each time one bringing the other ever so closer to release. Eventually Sarah seemed to tire of their foreplay and she, always being a creature of action, got straight to the point, sheathing herself on his hardness in one fluid motion, earning a strangled gasp of surprise and pleasure from Jareth.

Sarah was wild, wanton and almost brutal in her passion, riding him for all he was worth, getting as much pleasure out of him for herself that she could. Then her climax that their foreplay had built up exploded inside of her, her internal walls squeezing him so hard and forcefully that it almost hurt, nearly causing Jareth to come as well. Sarah had then collapsed on his chest, spent from her organism, panting.

Jareth then took his cue to take over and flipped Sarah onto her back. He started thrusting into her, slowly at first to build up her pleasure, then more quickly as he lost control as his own pleasure spiked rapidly. In what seemed like no time at all, Jareth was pounding into her as fast and as hard as he could, grunting in sync with his thrusts. Sarah was past the point of coherence, all she could do was mewl softly, the sexual tension inside of her preventing all other sounds from escaping her mouth.

Then Sarah reached her second climax and the inner walls of her core clenched so hard that it really did hurt that time, the mixing of pain with heady pleasure triggering his own release. He stood there, holding himself motionless as he emptied all of his seed into her, pleasure jolting through his body, leaving him feeling numb when it receded. Exhausted he sank down on the patch of clover next to her and he fell asleep holding her in his arms.

xxxxxxxx end lemon scene xxxxxxxx

The memory of their first joining would be one that Jareth kept close to him in the following years as the longing ache in his heart ate away at him like a tumor. The only reason why he didn't run off into the night during that time was because of his responsibilities that came with being the Goblin King. It was his crown, and not a lack of interest on Sarah's part that kept him from joining her in her wanderings. It was the promise to him from the other semi-lucid memory he had of his time with Sarah in that moon dominated land that kept him from giving up hope altogether.

* * *

As Jareth and Sarah were off cavorting in distant realms, Toby was lost in the Labyrinth, trying to find his way to a place he was he felt that he had to go to even though he didn't know what it was. In the process of searching for where he belonged, Toby was learning some well needed lessons about himself and about life in general.

On the first day he stumbled around in the forest he had appeared in, and quickly learned to follow his instincts, for it was his instincts and not his logic or reasoning that finally got him out of there.

Day two he spent wandering across meadow drenched in golden sunlight that seemed to go on forever. A gentle breeze stirred the knee-high lush grasses and flowers, bringing the sweet smell of sun-drenched grass into Toby's face. The meadow was lovely and peaceful but also rather lonely.

It seemed as if the boy was the only living creature in this place. No birds flew overhead or called out, no insects buzzed amongst the grass, no small mammals or reptiles rustled in the field. There was nothing, nothing but the blue, cloud dotted sky, the bright shinning sun, the wind, the grass and flowers, and one lost, lonely little boy.

Toby missed his home and he missed his sister. Heck, he even missed his mean and stuck-up mother. He had always taken them for granted he sadly realized. His loving father, his warm bed, even his pissy and nagging mother. He had always assumed that Sarah would come and spirit him away from his dull Aboveground life and take him with her on her journeys into lands filled with magic and fantasy.

He had finally gotten his wish, the goblins, or something had indeed come and taken him away from his Aboveground home two nights ago when he wished himself away during the full moon. But things hadn't turned out like he had assumed them to.

No longer was Toby a rude little brat. All he was now was a sad, lonely child that just wanted to be with someone who cared.

As the tears trickled down his face and he sank down into the warm endless meadow, he silently promised himself that if he ever got out that he would never take things for granted again. The golden haired child fell asleep moments later.

* * *

Jareth had dimly recalled talking to one of Sarah's companions one moment and in the blink of an eye, he was gone from where he had been sitting, floating in a space totally alien to him. Silver mists drifted around him, a few tendrils twinning around his body in a ghostly embrace. He knew that he should be apprehensive about what had happened, but an odd sense of peace filled him.

A moment later, Sarah appeared next to him, a bemused look on her face. That look quickly turned into one of recognition and shock when she took a quick survey of her new surroundings. Jareth had no idea what was going on, but by the expression on Sarah's face she did and he didn't have to wait long to find out for himself.

* * *

Toby woke up and nearly had a heart attack. Gone was the endless, lonely meadow he had fallen asleep in. In its place was miles of rolling hills covered in thornscrub that eventually gave way to flat, dry plains that had cracked from the sheer lack of moisture. Behind him loomed intimidating mountains that somehow beckoned to the confused boy.

It was day three of his time in the Labyrinth, and there was another lesson to be learned. Toby stood up and brushed off his pants, he was covered in dirt and had a terrible thirst. The sound of running water caught his attention and he quickly trotted off in the direction that the sound was coming from.

He went up the first hill and down the other side, and up the next. Three hills later, a clear, sparkling stream came into sight and with a cry Toby high-tailed it to the edge of the flowing water.

He cupped his hands, making a bowl and scooped a handful of water out of the flowing stream. It smelled so sweet and he wanted to do nothing more than stick his head down in the water and drink his fill. He was just about to take the first sip when his reflection in the water caught his eye.

Toby's hands fell to his sides, the water splattering across his legs as he stared at is reflection in horror. For instead of the normal healthy tan, the golden blond hair, the face still slightly rounded with baby fat and the clear blue eyes that he was used to he saw a boy with brittle pale yellow, almost grey hair, faded, lifeless blue eyes, and dead white skin with gaunt, skeletal features. Toby hastily backed away from the stream, his thirst suddenly vanishing.

Somehow he knew that if he had drank the water from the stream, what had happened to his reflection would have happened to him. The stream was poisoned he realized, it would slowly kill him if he had consumed it.

Toby took one last look at his sickly reflection in the stream, shuddered and looked away again. Another lesson learned, almost a second too late.

Don't take things at face value, they aren't always as they seem.

* * *

Toby had managed to find a source of running water later that day that was safe to drink from. He also managed to find a patch of berry bushes that birds of all colors were feasting on which he deemed safe to eat. He gorged himself on the fruit and fell asleep in the late afternoon sun, the day's lesson still fresh in his mind.

The fourth day he spent scaling the mountain, looking for a way over. The encounter he had with a fairy taught him the lesson that fairies don't grant wishes, they bite. He fell asleep that night under a tree that was nestled between two huge boulders.

The fifth day dawned clear and bright. He finished the climb over the mountain and descended into the long, deep valley below that ran all the way out of the mountain range. While beautiful, the moment Toby entered the lush valley, a swarm of biting insects descended upon him. Toby deciding that he'd rather walk along the mountain side than walk in the valley. He turned around to climb back out only to be faced with a sheer cliff that hadn't existed there before.

"It isn't fair!" Toby screamed.

Immediately it seemed that the number of blood sucking insects that were bothering him doubled.

"Gah! Go away you nasty things!" Toby cried as he unsuccessfully tried to bat them away.

Even more insects descended upon him.

He continued to try and make them go away with no success, his complaints getting more and more vocal. Almost an hour later he collapsed on the ground exhausted by his flailing.

"I give up," he muttered, "all my shouting has gotten me nothing but a sore throat. No point in continuing, the little buggers just won't go away."

The insects vanished the next second and Toby sat up in shock. The moment he had stopped whining and accepted the fact that there was nothing he could do about the bloodsuckers, they all went away.

Toby had learned his fifth lesson: complaining gets you no where.

* * *

For five days Sarah and Jareth had been gone, for five days Toby had been in the Underground. The Goblin King had been absent from his castle on personal vacation for a week, and as of yet no one knew that something was amiss. No one knew of the new wished away that was wandering around in the wilderness of the Labyrinth, just like they didn't know that their king was not anywhere in the Underground.

All the subjects of Jareth's kingdom knew was that the mysterious pranks had stopped and they were satisfied that their king had apparently put an end to them. For now, all was well in the Goblin Kingdom.

* * *

**_My my, you lured him out of that stuffy castle much sooner than I had thought,_** a familiar voice echoed across the mists, **_makes me wonder what mischief you were up to in the Underground to catch his attention within just one moon cycle Luna._**

"Mischief?" Jareth repeated, the voice's statement making all the pieces of the last two weeks' worth of mysterious events fall into place, "Sarah it was you that dumped that worthless band of adventurers with that godforsaken sword into my room? Do you know how bad my chambers smelled for the next three days?! I ought to strangle you!!"

"I couldn't think of a better way of making you come out and seek the person who had did that," Sarah remarked, giggling, "you must admit that it was effective."

"I ought to drop you in the Bog," Jareth scowled.

"I'd like to see you try," Sarah taunted, "besides, it was too much of a golden opportunity to waste."

**_As entertaining as it is to watch the two of you flirt,_** the voice commented, **_the time that you can remain here is limited and there is much that I have to tell you Goblin King._**

"Just who are you anyway?" Jareth demanded.

**_He is just as rude and presumptuous as that brat you call your little brother Luna,_** the voice spoke, **_I see that you have your work cut out for you with this errant Moon Child._**

"I have my work cut out for me?" Sarah echoed, "what is that supposed to mean Selene?"

_**Currently you are the only Named of my children in the Underground, and the only one who is qualified to teach my wayward child,** _Selene explained, **_you must show him the ways of the life that a Moon Child leads and teach him all he needs to know to receive his own Moon Name._**

"Moon Child, Moon Name? What is going on here?" Jareth asked.

"Simple, you are a Moon Child who has for too long unanswered Selene's call," Sarah explained, "trust me. If I hadn't gotten you out of the Labyrinth within twelve months' time, you would have gone stark raving mad. And not the kind of madness that descends upon me as the full moon nears. No, you would have been nothing more than a raving lunatic, a danger to yourself and all of those around you."

"So why all the tomfoolery? Why all the cause so much unrest in my kingdom?" Jareth demanded, "why not just seek me out and tell it straight to my face?"

"Because you wouldn't have believed me let alone condescended to join me on the night in the full moon," Sarah quietly spoke, "you would have had no reason to. I had to show you, however indirectly, that there to this than just disturbed dreams. I had to lure you out of your fortress and make you seek me out. I had no other choice."

"And I thought that I was the presumptuous one," Jareth snorted.

"No," Sarah denied, "it is hard for me to deny my impulses when I am beset with the Moon Madness. You will come to find that is true for you as well as the next full moon approaches now that you have finally answered the call."

"What is this call the you keep referring to?" Jareth asked.

"You dreamed of the moon did you not?" Sarah asked.

Jareth nodded.

"There you have it," Sarah told him, "when a person dreams of the full crystal moon for nights on end, they are being called by Selene to embrace their true form."

"True form?" Jareth asked incredulously, "I am what I was born to be, the Goblin King, member of the fairer races. That is what I am and what I will continue to be."

**_Now you see why he is in such need of guidance of a Named Moon Child,_** Selene spoke up, **_his head is filled with so many misconceptions. You need to correct those and show him the truth about himself. It is up to you to bring this wayward child home Luna._**

Jareth only sighed in exasperation. The moon goddess just wasn't getting it.

"In case you forgot, I don't have time to go frolicking through the woods under the moonlight," Jareth remarked, "I have a kingdom to run and duties to carry out that comes with being the Goblin King."

_**That is already being remedied**,_ Selene vaguely informed him, _**don't think you can escape destiny forever Goblin King. You shall come to find that the mantle of rulership will be an unbearable burden as time goes by. One of these days, in the distant future, you shall be driven to discard everything and become what you were meant to be.**_

"I can hardly resign from my post," Jareth darkly muttered, "I have no heir to take over for me."

**_As I said, it has been taken care of,_** Selene repeated.

"Oh you didn't!" Sarah exclaimed, "he's not ready!"

_**He is more than ready Luna, his life Aboveground was smothering him, if he hadn't had fallen Underground, he would have started to develop dangerous habits**,_ Selene firmly stated, **_time grows short, I cannot keep the two of you here much longer. You must return there is much for the both of you to do._**

The world of mist started to dissolve around them.

Selene spoke one last time in a rapidly fading voice.

**_Stay strong the both of you through the coming years, they will test you're your patience and resolve in more ways than one. Don't try to run from your destiny Goblin King, for the change has already started in you._**

"Selene wait! I have so many questions that I have to ask you!" Sarah called.

**_Look inside of yourself Luna, the answers are already there..._** the goddess' voice became almost undetectable.

…**_fear not Goblin King, for in the end you will get your heart's desire when you finally receive your Name…_**

And then everything vanished and they were falling, falling, falling ever downward…

* * *

On the sixth day Toby finally reached the end of the wilderness inside the Labyrinth. He learned that day was that what goes around comes around.

Toby had been in a particularly foul mood that day and had deliberately ignored the old man that had asked for his help as he stormed on by. The next second he tripped and stumbled down a sharp incline and stopped just an inch smelling horrible for the rest of his life.

When Toby looked behind him at the hill he had fallen down, a high, moss covered wall met his gaze. He looked back at the muck that he had almost fallen into and realized that he had finally stumbled upon the most infamous part of the Labyrinth: the Bog of Eternal Stench.

"Ambrosia! Amborsia!" a voice yelled out, breaking Toby out of his daze, "Ambrosia where have you gotten to you featherbrained puppy?!"

Toby heard some scuffling behind a bush to his left. Cautiously he got up and peeked over the bush. Sure enough, a hairy sheepdog puppy with oversized paws was cowering behind the bush obviously hiding form his master.

"Ambrosia, come out right now!" the voice barked, "you can't escape your bath forever!"

Toby had to restrain his laughter as the rather muddy puppy tried to make itself smaller.

"Ambrosia where are you?" the voice called, sounding rather exasperated.

The puppy whimpered and looked ready to bolt.

_Oh no you don't,_ Toby thought as he tackled the puppy just as he got up to run away.

Instantly the puppy started howling as Toby struggled to hold the squirming canine, getting mud all over his already filthy clothing.

"Good show there my lad!" the owner of the puppy announced, "now hold that rascal still while I get his leash back on him."

Toby almost dropped the puppy as he stared at the owner of the sheepdog. The little fox stood on two legs, sported a faded black eye patch and tattered finery was walking towards Toby. Suddenly something clicked in Toby's mind.

"You're Sir Didymus!" Toby exclaimed, "I read about you in my sister's diary!"

"Do I know you from somewhere? I'm sure that I would recognize a strong chap like you," the old fox commented as he cocked his head to the side.

"You should know my sister," Toby replied with a grin, "after all you helped her win me back form the Goblin King eight years ago."

"Sir Toby?" Sir Didymus astonished, "is that really you? How is the fair Lady Sarah doing? I haven't seen her in years."

"Wish I knew," Toby sighed, "she disappeared years ago from the Aboveground. I have no idea where she went."

"I shall vanquish the vile fiend that abducted your fair sister!" Sir Didymus bellowed.

"Hey there is no need for vanquishing!" Toby yelled, "Sarah is perfectly safe. I can feel it. Besides, she wasn't kidnapped. She ran away from home because Mom and Dad were going to send her away to a military school."

"Sarah the valiant maiden ran away? That doesn't sound like her," Sir Didymus mumbled.

"Karen drove her out," Toby darkly muttered, "just like she did to me."

"Why are you back in the Labyrinth anyway?" Sir Didymus asked.

"Well I sort of wish-" Toby was cut off mid-word when the puppy he had been holding escaped his grasp.

"Oh drat!" Sir Didymus cursed, "Ambrosia get back here!"

* * *

Six more days passed as Toby got to know Sir Didymus and learned his way around the bog. He learned that just because the place smells bad that it didn't have its good points. For one it was wicked fun to watch a goblin go sailing into the middle of the bog to hit the disgusting bog slime with a wet splat as it piteously wailed.

He was learning the finer points of chivalry and the basics of self-defense from the little fox and was discovering many things about himself in the process. Like the fact that he had really good aim with throwing weapons but had no clue which end of a sword to hold. He was good on sneaking up on things while he still tripped over his own feet when walking normally. He had a decent singing voice but told the worst one-liners.

Under the fox knight's tutelage, Toby grew and matured in ways he never thought he could back in the restricted environment of his Aboveground house with his parents. As the days went on Toby realized that he really didn't miss his old life and now thought as the Labyrinth as home.

Gone was the spoiled brat that had wished himself away on the night of the full moon. In his place was a rapidly maturing and even polite young lad who was becoming a fine young man. Toby would have been content to spend more time with Sir Didymus but a summons came for the fox on the sixth day requiring his assistance at the castle.

Toby having nothing better to do, accompanied Sir Didymus who was more than happy to have company for the day-long journey to the castle from his home in the bog. They walked non-stop the entire day, finally making camp ten miles away from the junkyard, upwind of the place thankfully.

They finally reached the main gates to the Goblin City around 10am the next day only to be greeted with chaos. Goblins, chickens, and all other sorts of creatures ran everywhere frantically. Toby could see evidence of looting and one house had been knocked over. Women and children were wailing while their men were getting themselves piss-ass drunk in the alleyways. All the shops were closed and creatures everywhere were panicking.

Sir Didymus snagged a goblin as it ran by.

"What on earth is all this fuss about?" he asked.

"King gone, vanished. Destroyed the Golden Chicken! Should have come back two days ago," the goblin gibbered in broken sentences, "the world is ending!!!!!!!!"

It then broke out of Sir Didymus' hold and ran straight into a building, knocking itself out. Toby only shook his head in bemusement.

"Strange fellow," he commented.

"Typical behavior for a goblin," Sir Didymus told him, waving it off, "we don't have time to dally, we must reach the castle and restore some sort of order before these louts tear down the city."

"Onward to the castle!" the fox yelled as he charged off into the melee.

Toby only sighed and followed the energetic little knight.

* * *

Sarah and Jareth landed on the floor of the throne room with a loud oomph! Or rather Sarah hit the ground first and Jareth landed on top of her.

"Get off of me you heavy lug!" Sarah snapped.

"Love you too kitten," Jareth replied as he did just the opposite of what Sarah asked.

"Get off! I can't breathe!" Sarah shouted as she struggled to force him off.

"Why? I'm so comfortable where I am," Jareth teased, "besides, if you keep wiggling like that I'm afraid that I will have no choice to ravish you where you lay."

"Perverted bastard," Sarah muttered.

"You were the one who jumped me first," Jareth reminded her, "consider this payback for sending those idiots with that blasted Sword of Wind to grace my presence in the middle of the night."

"You arrogant, obnoxious, pig-headed, self-centered-" Jareth cut Sarah off mid-rant with a kiss.

"Mmmph!" she complained as he continued to kiss her.

Finally she succeeded in shoving him off.

"-horny, overbearing, shameless prick!" she concluded in a huff.

"I like it when you talk dirty," Jareth drawled, "it's a big turn on. Care to use that mouth for other things?"

Sarah screamed at him in inarticulate rage and pounced on him. After a few minutes of noisy scuffling, Sarah had successfully pinned Jareth, twisting his arms behind his back and grinding his stomach and chest into the floor.

"Not so high and mighty are we now Goblin King?" Sarah taunted.

Jareth muttered a few choice oaths and tried to buck her off. After the first five failed attempts, he gave up and went limp in her grasp. She just had too good of a grip on his arms and had positioned herself so it was almost impossible for him to throw her off.

Even after Jareth had given up, Sarah didn't loosen her grip on him. She knew that Jareth was a tricky little devil and she wasn't about to let her guard down for even a second around him.

It was then that Sarah discovered a little side effect their struggle had had on her. Somehow when she had pinned Jareth to the floor at the base of the throne, she had thrown one of her legs across his waist. Consequently she was now straddling him and had put both of them in a very compromising position.

A blush bloomed on Sarah's face as heat began to pool between her legs. Her blush only grew stronger when she realized that having the Goblin King at her mercy was as Jareth put it, "a big turn on."

"Something the matter love?" Jareth asked as Sarah squirmed a bit on top of him, her grip remaining strong as ever to his slight displeasure.

"Just trying to figure out what to do with my prisoner," she heatedly purred as she regained her equilibrium.

Jareth couldn't suppress the delighted shudder that ran down his back at Sarah's intent laden words.

"Scared?" Sarah whispered as she bent down to nip one of his ears.

"Terrified," he drawled.

"Good," Sarah stated as she started to trail kisses along the rim of his ear.

Things would have gone much further from there, but the next second the door to the throne room burst open and Sarah sat up in shock.

"Gah! What are you doing!" Toby exclaimed, "I've been scared for life!"

"Your majesty? Are you in need of assistance?" Sir Didymus hesitantly asked.

Jareth groaned. It was just like the little fox to burst in at the most inopportune moment. He was really starting to enjoy Sarah's administrations and was even hoping that she would continue them but the fox and some blond child had burst in stopping any chance of that.

"Sarah? Could you get off of him already?" Toby asked, "we kinda have a situation outside."

"Toby?" Sarah gaped, "what in the devil are you doing here?"

Jareth took advantage of Sarah finally loosening her grip on his arms to wrench them out of her grasp. Sarah got off him the next moment as she practically sprang at the boy, engulfing Toby in a bear hug.

"Well that's one way of getting her off," Jareth commented as Sarah finally placed Toby back on his feet and took the opportunity to study him.

"Well I'll be, I see no trace of spoiled brat in you at all," Sarah observed.

"Only because I had some very hard learned lessons pounded into my head since I got here almost two weeks, no make that exactly thirteen days ago," Toby cheerfully told her.

"So about this situation outside," Jareth smoothly cut in.

"Your majesty, the citizens are in a panic," Sir Didymus exclaimed, "you have been gone two days past your expected return date. Some of us feared the worst."

Jareth groaned.

"And I guess that it is up to me to fix this mess?" Jareth asked.

"It would seem like it Sire," Sir Didymus answered.

"Lovely," Jareth groaned, "Sarah this is why I cannot go off and act like some child up past their bedtime sneaking out the house to dance under the full moon like your goddess seems to want me to. This kingdom will fall apart within a week if I'm not there to keep the goblins in line."

"Goddess, full moon?" Toby questioned, "sounds a lot like that mumbo-jumbo that Demeter person was talking about."

Jareth whipped around to face the boy.

"The moon goddess has contacted you as well?" he roughly demanded.

"Yeah, she said something about needing my help to draw out her errant child," Toby recalled, "that the one she had sent wouldn't be able to do it alone."

"That still doesn't explain your presence here," Jareth responded.

"Oh that," Toby remarked, "she told me that if I wished to leave the Aboveground that I should wish-"

"Yourself away during the next full moon," Sarah finished for him.

"Yeah," he affirmed, "wait, how did you know that?"

"I saw your encounter with the moon goddess in a dream," Sarah answered.

"Weird," Toby commented, "the only way I reckon that you could have done that was if you were one of those…"

"You have got to be kidding me," Toby stated, "there is no way that YOU were the one that Demeter sent to retrieve the errant child."

"Sorry to disappoint you squirt," Sarah smirked.

"Ah man!" Toby whined, "how come you are the one that always gets to do the cool stuff?"

"I'm not the only one to have gone on a big adventure," Sarah observed, "you seem to have made your way through the Labyrinth as well."

"So who was this errant child that your 'moon goddess' was referring to? Have you found them yet?" Toby eagerly asked.

"Yup," Sarah smirked.

"So who is it?" Toby asked slightly annoyed.

"He was the only other person in the room before the two of you barged in," Sarah replied.

Toby looked at the Goblin King and burst out laughing.

"I fail to see what is so amusing about the situation," Jareth grumbled.

"Ho, that is just too much!" Toby crowed, "the Mighty Goblin King being nothing more than an errant child needing my big Sis to hold him by the hand to bring him back home. Oh man, it is just too hilarious!"

Jareth scowled.

"You must admit Your Majesty, it is an amusing picture," Sir Didymus added chuckling slightly.

"Shut it fox. I don't need this disrespect from you as well," Jareth snapped.

"As your majesty wishes," Sir Didymus replied, saluting, unable to hide the grin on his face.

"Smart ass fox," Jareth muttered.

Ever since Toby had started laughing, Sarah had been furiously thinking. It was no coincidence that Toby was here just as some big crisis was happening outside the castle. Back when they were in her realm, Selene had told them that the problem of Jareth being unable to abdicate his crown had already been taken care of. A mischievous twinkle came into Sarah's eyes as an idea occurred to her.

"Toby if you could be anything in the world, what would you be?" Sarah asked.

"That's easy!" Toby exclaimed, "I would want to be a knight like Sir Didymus."

The small knight puffed his chest up in pride.

"How about being a prince?" Sarah suggested.

"A prince? Cool!" he shouted, "what kind of prince?"

"Sarah…" Jareth warned.

"How about being the Goblin Prince?" Sarah offered.

"You mean like the Goblin King's heir?" Toby asked.

"The idea has merit majesty," Sir Didymus suggested, "didn't you once entertain the idea of making young Toby your adopted son if you failed to catch his sister?"

"You what!" Sarah shrieked, glaring daggers at Jareth.

"Well from what I saw earlier, it was Sarah who had been the one to catch the Goblin King, not the other way around," Toby piped up.

"With that smart mouth of his, he could be no one else but your brother," Jareth grumbled.

"So how about it?" Sarah pressed.

"About what?" Jareth shot back.

"About making Toby your heir dolt! It is clear that he doesn't want to go back to his _loving_ mother and he seems to have lost his brattiness as well as won the approval of Sir Didiymus," Sarah listed, "plus you already considered the matter and Toby is more than willing to do the job."

"Plus the fact that he is the only one who can," Sarah continued, "it's not like I want or even had the training for the job. Toby is still young enough to get all the training that the position requires and when he is ready to take over, you can finally go after what you want to."

"It's a win-win deal from what I see," Sarah concluded.

"I guess that I don't have much of a choice do I?" Jareth almost snarled as Toby did a victory dance, "fine! But don't think that this will be easy boy. I will get you the best and most demanding tutors out there to complete your education and drill you in the matters of the state. You won't have hardly a moment of spare time, I assure you."

The smile on Toby's face wilted.

"How about you start off with assigning Sir Didymus to teach him about weapons and battle strategy?" Sarah suggested.

"I don't care any more, choose whoever you like!" Jareth growled, "now if you excuse me I have a crisis in my kingdom to resolve."

"Well he is in a foul mood," Toby commented as he watched Jareth storm out of the throne room, "so Sarah, what cool kinds of magic tricks can you show me?"

"That young master is none of your concern," Sir Didymus informed Toby, "Sarah's brand of magic has nothing in common with the magic that the Goblin King uses. You will be learning to harness the Labyrinth's power when a suitable tutor is found."

"Aw man," Toby complained, only to turn red the next second.

"What was that about?" Sarah asked.

"I learned that complaining gets me no where and I promised that I wouldn't complain anymore without a real reason," Toby mumbled embarrassed, "looks like I still have a lot to learn."

"Indeed young master," Sir Didymus replied, "and now is as good a time as any to get started. Now I want you to follow me to the training grounds. There is still a lot that I want to test you on before the day ends."

Toby brightened at the mention of training grounds. That meant that he would probably get a chance to try out some new weapons.

Sarah yawned loudly, catching Sir Didymus' attention.

"Forgive me my lady, you must be exhausted," the little knight apologized, "I'll see if I can find a servant to show your to a guest room where you can retire till the evening."

The little knight scurried off. Sarah let out another jaw cracking yawn, sat down on the Goblin King's throne and promptly fell asleep. Toby winced as he looked at Sarah's sprawled position on the stone throne.

"That will definitely hurt in the morning," Toby commented.

"My lady Sarah, I couldn't…" Sir Didymus' words trailed off as he looked at her, "come master Toby, we should leave her in peace, the poor girl needs her rest. I'm sure that his majesty can put her in a real bed when he gets back."

Toby took one last glance back at Sarah as she slept on the throne, totally limp.

_Boy is she going to be sore when she wakes up,_ he thought as he closed the doors to the throne room behind him.

* * *

An extra long chappie for all of you readers in apology to the long wait. All I can say in my defense was that college came back into my life after Spring Break with the force of a sledge hammer. I've been busy studying for tests this entire week and haven't had a chance to update any of my fics. Well here you go. Hope you enjoyed it.

Please leave a review before you go.


	13. A New Saga Begins

Moon Child

By Whiteinfinity21

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth

* * *

Chapter 13- A new saga begins 

Jareth had stumbled back into his room around noon the next day having spent the remainder of the previous day and the entire night visiting almost every part of his kingdom to reassure his citizens that nothing had happened to him and that he had simply been held up for a few days due to bad weather. The potential crisis that his absence had caused had barely been averted.

The one thing that Jareth couldn't seem to figure out was how on earth he could have been gone almost two entire weeks. It had seemed that he had only spent one, maybe two days with Sarah in that other moonlit realm. He didn't even know the place of where Sarah had whisked him off to or how she had done it.

_Sarah continues to surprise me_, Jareth mused, _at every turn in the path she shows a new ability that I never knew about._

If it really had been thirteen days since he had left the Underground on the night of the full moon, that meant tonight would was the dead moon. The Goblin King when reflecting on how the moon madness affected Sarah on that night wondered how the dead moon would affect her.

Jareth could feel the exhaustion that he had been fighting off start to overwhelm him. With a yawn, he slid between the sheets of his bed. Two seconds later the Goblin King was fast asleep.

* * *

"Is it normal for someone to sleep that long?" 

"It can be quite common for people to sleep for two days on end when particularly worn out or are healing Master Toby."

"Yeah, but she has been asleep over a day."

"There is nothing to be worried about."

"I know, but she has been sleeping on that throne for all that time. It sure as hell can't be comfortable."

"Watch your mouth young Master. It does not benefit a prince, even an unofficial one, to speak so basely. It looks like we will most certainly have to add a courtly etiquette tutor to the list as well."

"Why me?!!!"

* * *

Sunlight spilled onto Jareth's face as someone yanked back the drapes around his huge bed. He groaned and pulled the covers over his head. 

The covers were yanked off the bed.

"Can't a king get some quality sleep around here?!!" Jareth roared.

"You have had plenty of beauty sleep majesty," the amused voice of the castle steward spoke.

"I thought that I gave the guards orders not to let anyone in until I woke up," Jareth growled, "looks like I am going to have to dock some wages."

"You have been asleep for a day and a half Sire," the steward informed him.

"What?!" Jareth shouted, "why did you not wake me earlier?"

"We tried to majesty, but nothing we tried worked," the steward replied, "it was like you were in a coma."

"Just peachy," Jareth growled, "this sets back the schedule for arranging the announcement of my heir and getting tutors for his formal education arranged."

"Actually majesty, the knight Lady Sarah arranged to be Prince Tobias' weapons master has already been putting a list of possible tutors together," the steward responded, "you will find the list of candidates on your desk in your personal study."

"I still have to make the announcement," Jareth grumbled.

"It has already been taken care of Sire," the steward said, "in fact I was sent to wake you up so you could be in time to make the announcement to your kingdom form the balcony above the castle courtyard."

"Oh?" Jareth asked, "and just who has been arranging my schedule while I was sleeping Regald?"

"I believe that some dwarf named Hoggle was the one who took over the arrangements for Prince Tobias' unveiling," Regald recalled.

Jareth groaned at the thought of the cowardly dwarf being in charge of something important, he was bound to mess things up.

"Majesty, if you would get ready, you are scheduled to appear with Prince Tobias in half an hour," Regald reminded the distracted Goblin King.

"Stop nagging, you're not my mother," Jareth snapped.

"I would certainly hope not Sire," Regald replied with a straight face.

"Out! Now!" Jareth yelled.

The castle steward bowed and strode out of the room.

"You just can't find good help these days," Jareth sighed as he climbed out of his bed to get ready.

* * *

"I wonder what this big announcement is?" 

"I heard that the Goblin King is going to declare a new holiday."

"Someone told me that he was going to announce that he had a vision of the Golden Chicken!"

"Oh shut up you nutter! Everyone knows that the whole Golden Chicken thing is hogwash."

"I heard that he is forming a trade alliance with the dwarven kingdom to the north."

"Well I think that he is going to announce his engagement to the pixie princess of the eastern forest kingdom."

"Hah! Shows what you know! Everyone knows that the Goblin King won't come within ten leagues of that prissy, power-hungry slut. Our monarch has much better taste than to marry that vain harpy."

"Don't disrespect the Golden Chicken! Its golden radiance will bring wealthy and all the chickens one can chase to the true believers."

"Would someone gag that goblin already?!!"

Hundreds of conversations from the crowd gathered below in the castle's courtyard drifted up to the balcony above the main gate. Toby snickered at some of the more ludicrous statements he heard from the crowd below.

"You ready for this?" Hoggle whispered to Toby.

"Been ready for this my entire life," Toby announced.

"Don't get too cocky," Jareth reminded him, "just remember after this we are interviewing the first batch of candidates to fill the tutoring positions that are needed for your education and training to be my heir."

"Yeah, yeah I know, you don't have to keep on reminding me," Toby grumbled.

"The citizens are starting to get restless Sire," Sir Didymus noted.

"Then we had best not keep them waiting any longer shall we," Jareth stated.

"Show time," Toby murmured.

Silence fell over the crowd as the Goblin King finally stepped out from behind the curtains on the balcony above the castle courtyard. All eyes were riveted on the Goblin King as looked behind him at the figure that emerged a few seconds later. Whispers broke out across the crowd as they took in the handsome blue-eyed, blond-haired child that stood beside the Goblin King.

"Citizens of the Goblin Kingdom," Jareth announced, "I know that my unexpected absence has caused much unrest in the Labyrinth."

The whispers died down.

"But the delay in my return was not without reward," Jareth continued once silence had fallen over the courtyard again, "for on my travels I came across a most interesting child. He has proved his courage, loyalty, intelligence and chivalry many times over. Such a fine lad is rare find to come across. I knew from the moment I saw him that he was destined for greatness and leadership."

Jareth motioned for Toby to come to the front of the balcony.

"Citizens of the Labyrinth and the Goblin Kingdom," Jareth shouted, "I present you with Prince Tobias, my heir!"

Cheering broke out across the crowd and they took up the chant "Hail King Jareth! Hail Prince Tobias!" A satisfied smile settled on Jareth's face at the crowd's reaction. They were taking his announcement very well.

_Looks like Sarah was right,_ Jareth thought, _Toby is just what my kingdom needed._

"Putting it on a little thick aren't you?" Toby whispered.

"Just setting high standards that I expect you to live up to," Jareth replied.

"Boy are you a spoilsport," Toby grumbled.

"I try my hardest," Jareth lightly commented.

"So have you seen Sarah lately?" Toby asked changing the topic, "last time I looked she still was dead to the world on your throne."

"Why would she sleep there? One of the servants could have easily showed her to a guest room," Jareth replied.

"Dunno," Toby shrugged, "Sir Didymus couldn't find a servant and by the time he got back she was already asleep. Couldn't wake her up either. She has been sleeping there for two days already."

"Hmmm…." Jareth murmured, "I shall have to go check up on her then. My throne is hardly the most comfortable place to have a nap."

Jareth turned around and walked back into the castle

"That's what I said," Toby told the Goblin King's retreating back.

* * *

When Jareth entered the throne room, it was completely empty. Sarah was no where in sight. He approached his throne and looked down. A note placed under a sprig of clover had been left on the seat of the throne. Jareth picked up the note and tucked the sprig of clover into a pocket inside of his doublet. 

Jareth's eyebrows went up as he read the note.

_Sorry that I couldn't stick around for the big announcement love. I had other things that I needed to do. Plus I can't stand this stuffy castle that you shut yourself up in so much. The forest is much more to my liking._

_I'll give you a warning now that Toby is quite a handful, he is bound to keep on your toes and want to pull your hair out at times. Don't worry, you will get used to the squirt, he grows on you sort of like an unwanted foot fungus. _

_See you next full moon lover boy!_

_-Green eyes_

To be continued in The Moon Mad King

* * *

Here you go as promised. The last chapter of Moon Child by the end of the weekend. 

I hadn't originally planned of splitting Moon Child up into two stories, but it occurred to me after I posted Ch12 that I could break the story into two parts after Ch13. I'm doing this for two reasons. One is so I won't have any unfinished stories before the semester ends and two is so I can work on the sequel of Window of Opportunity.

I would like to give a big thanks to my loyal reviewers oh-you-pretty-things and notwritten, as well as AngerManagamentIssues45, LabyLuvPhx, Lady Azeria of the Labyrinth, and the new comer Sailor Phantom of Middle Earth.

Hope you guys liked part one of the Moon Child two-part series. I don't think that I will get around to writing the Moon Mad King until August since I will be busy with an internship all summer and most likely won't have access to a computer with internet nor time to write anything.

Before you go, please leave a review.


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